Day 5: 5 challenges and 5 small victories

5 challenges and 5 small victories


Challenges:

1. Staying positive and optimistic about my health - it is difficult and sometimes even dangerous to imagine myself completely healthy again.
2. Being patient - because of the complexity of Cushing's you have to be very patient about diagnosis, treatment, etc. You also have to learn to be patient with others who rarely understand what you are going through and can sometimes be very dismissive.
3. Maintaining a clean flat - doing housework is one of the most tiring things when you are ill!
4. Realising who you can count on - I'm sorry to say that when I became very ill I found out who my real friends are. Not many people stick around or support you when you're not doing so good, especially if your illness affects your mood.
5. Accepting your losses - no matter how much my health improves or how well I manage to cope now and in the long run, nothing will change the fact that I lost around 8years to this disease. I lost friends, opportunities for love, travel, and much much more.

Victories:

1. Having a more positive outlook on life - having Cushing's has actually forced me to reassess my life and appreciate all the wonderful things I DO have.
2. Maturing and growing from the experience - going through this has helped me in so many ways. It has made me a stronger and better person and will also help me with my career.
3. Accepting your weaknesses and strengths - I now have a clearer picture of who I am and what I am capable of.
4. Realising who you can count on - I have also discovered the great love and support that people can give towards you in time of need. 
5. Accepting your losses - I have come to realise that although I have lost many things, I have also gained so much. Sometimes we do not understand why we have to go through these losses but it is important that we accept it and forgive others and ourself for it.

As you will have noticed, many of the challenges are also victories! This is because I strongly believe in the notion that we can learn and grow from our experiences, especially the negative ones. And that there are a million and one ways to see and react to a situation. We can see the glass as half empty or half full and in fact it will probably depend a lot on how thirsty we are but either way, we always have a choice. This is one of the greatest and most difficult things about being human, our endless choice.