After a stroke, one of two thoughts will most likely be going on in your brain. The first is “Why Me?” and the second is “Now What?”
Both of these questions can roll into the desire of looking for answers that you may have trouble finding a solution to.
It is easy to get down on yourself after having such a huge event. Anger can set in.
My friend Laura Preston, who works as an R.N. said it well…“Anger can either destroy you or propel you forward”.
A few months after having my stroke, I even had thoughts that I might be doing everyone a favor by just getting out of the way. I wouldn’t be saying this, if I didn’t know that some of you may be having the same thoughts.
Let’s hear this again…Anger can either destroy you or PROPEL YOU FORWARD!
YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN DECIDE
Life can be great after having a stroke, but it takes the right attitude.
People often ask me how I can be so positive after having such an event in my life. Here are some things I have done;
1. Journal or Write – I enjoy sitting down most mornings and writing my thoughts out in my journal. I looked back at the thoughts I had right after my stroke, and it was very telling about having a positive attitude. Then going through the tough times of admitting what really happened. Through dedicated perseverance, hard work, and time, things got much better. It is nice being able to go back and see the thoughts I was having back then. You need to record what is bothering you; get it out of your mind, then move on!
2. Decide That You Have A Choice – Yes, you do have a choice! You can decide to be happy and move on or you can decide to be unhappy and make life miserable for yourself and others’ around you. I’m not saying it will be easy! But think back to something that you really are proud of having. Was that easy to accomplish or did it take some dedicated work? Remember, only you can do this for yourself.
3. Create New Habits – This can take some time. I’ve heard different timing when it comes to changing a habit (30 to 90 days), but in my reality, it depends on the habit. For example, if I want to start writing in a journal, having the journal out where I will see it each day reminds me, and therefore I tend to do it all the time. If I need to take my medicine each day, laying it out on the bathroom counter is a habit I had to form. This took a while to get. It takes time and determination to form new habits, but they will make a huge difference for you as you move forward.
4. Find Someone You Can Be 100% Honest With – This is a big key to moving forward. I had a tough time letting my spouse know how I was really feeling. There were a couple of reasons for this. One reason was that I didn’t want her to know that I was feeling so depressed after having my stroke. I wanted her to see me as the rock I had always been (at least I thought so…haha), and I didn’t want her to worry any more than she already was. It took a while for me to find the person I could be honest with that would give me the time to talk and would listen, but I did find them. What a difference it makes to let go of your thoughts and get the positive moving back into your life.
Let me end this post by saying that YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES to move forward in life. No one can do it for you…Make the choice now toward having Strength after Stroke!
Committed to YOUR Recovery
Keith