Same Condition, Different Perspective

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Cindy Boily CPCC ACC, One of Thousands of Health and Fitness Coaches on Noomii.

An old man says to his grandson, “Boy, I have two tigers caged within me, One is love and compassion and the other is fear and anger.” The young boy asked his grandfather, “Which one will win, grandfather?” The old man replied, “The one I feed.” – Indian Tale

This is also true in how we face chronic illness.

Jackie has severe arthritis. She is only 50 years old and has so much pain that it has completely altered her life. She has trouble sleeping, therefore spends her waking hours with chronic fatigue. She has had to quit her career that she loved and now spends her days isolated in her home with hardly anyone to talk to. She tries to avoid as much physical activity as possible because it causes her so much pain. She is bored, lonely and angry for what has happened to her life. Her family finds reasons not to visit and most of her friends have stopped calling leaving her even more isolated. She is hurt, overwhelmed and extremely lonely.

Samantha is also 50 years old and suffers with severe arthritis. She walks everyday around her neighborhood or on her treadmill when the weather is bad. Everyday she makes an effort to reach her goal of how long she will walk but she has learnt that it is ok to have a bad day and focuses on her successes. When the pain is bad she listens to imagery tapes to help distract her self from the pain. Samantha loves seeing her friends at her book club that meets once every other week. She also likes to help out at the local homeless shelter where she can go and sort through clothing and help clients find something they can wear. Her friends always love to hear her voice when she calls and are amazed at the enthusiasm she has for everything she does. They find her to be an inspiration to them that do not have to deal with her challenges of pain.

Both Jackie and Samantha have the similar challenges with pain why are their lives so different? Some would automatically make negative comments on Jackie and blame her for her situation. Neither of these women is lazy or exaggerating their situation but simple has a different perspective and attitude of what they can do. Jackie has become overwhelmed by her attitude towards her illness and has focused on what she has lost, feeling that she is unable to improve her situation. Samantha on the other hand has chosen to take an active role and has found what she can still do which has allowed her to feel she can make contributions to her community and improve her quality of life.

Attitude cannot cure chronic illness or pain however attitude opens you up to learning such things as self-management, pain management and learning how to open up your mind to possibilities. You can be a healthy person with a chronic illness that has a wonderful smile and zest for life.

As a life coach this is one of many areas we can work on to change the way you see your options and future.