Bloom Where You’re Planted
As fibromyalgia takes its toll and you watch the hopes and dreams attached to your old way of life fade, it may be hard to see anything good or positive for yourself in the future. It’s both normal and necessary to grieve the loss of your old life. But at some point, it’s important for you to come to a place of accepting that your life will be different than you once envisioned it. This is the time to work on changing your focus. Instead of seeing fibromyalgia as an end to your old way of life, try to look at it as an opportunity to grow and develop in new ways.
Rather than focusing on activities you can no longer do, look inside yourself and identify the qualities that made you good at what you did. For example, although you may no longer be able to set sales records in your company, you still have the qualities that made you a top salesperson: drive, determination, and persuasiveness. Or if you can't go white-water rafting anymore, you still possess the qualities that made it a sport you loved: courage, an adventurous spirit and a love of nature.
You still have the same inner qualities you've always had. Having fibromyalgia doesn't mean you have to give up who you are. It just means you have to find new ways to express who you are. I say these things from very personal experience. I've always been a creative person. Before fibromyalgia I expressed my creativity as a dancer and choreographer. Now I use that same creativity to express myself through writing and graphic design. Fibromyalgia didn't change who I am; it just changed how I express who I am.
Although fibromyalgia may have "broken" your body, don't allow it access to your soul and spirit. Identify those qualities and traits that make you who you are. And never forget that you are a person of great value.
Reprinted with permission of ProHealth, Inc. from “FM Research and Treatment News,” 11/8/06.
