Through understanding our illness, I believe we can stay positive. It's important to be and stay positive. We must buy into the cup's half full philosophy.
How many of us equate stress, through having to deal with an illness of a loved one, or equate our own mortality? When our loved ones are terminally ill, it is easy to place ourselves and think that could be us in 15 to 20 years. Illness tends to open our thoughts to morbidity.
Through our own experiences of dealing with a loved one with a terminal illness, it would be easy for us to spiral into negativity. By watching mum struggle through her illness, she opened my eyes.
It is important to stay positive through illness and also to deal with our stress, so that we prevent illness. Mum showed me through her illness, that no matter how stressed we are it is important to try to remain positive and upbeat.
I try to stay positive. I also encourage others to be positive. I try not to let things get to me but sometimes it's hard, especially when I'm in pain and can't do anything about it, when nothing works or helps.
I usually push through it by doing something that gets my mind off of it. Am I making sense? And there are days when I've got to a tolerable level and others bring me back down. It's like they know and say "okay how can I make her feel bad?"
Going through my mother's battle with cancer brings some perspective to light. I too think that could be me in 10 to 20 years or sooner, if I don't start living and doing better. I get so down at times because of my problems, usually the lack of energy. But then I think I could be worse off. I could be in bed and not able to do anything.
Lisa you do make sense, but where you say you reach a tolerable level, maybe you're not quite there, because people bring you down so easily without having to try. Take stock of those who bring you down. I did and I have never been happier.
Living with someone who is terminally ill, does make us see our own mortality, but whilst we see it we also have to make those changes so that we live a more positive, productive life while we have our health. You have answered a lot of your own thoughts. You know what changes you need to make, take your first steps to work through those. Feel better soon.
When my mother was ill, she enjoyed sitting on a swing my brother had bought her in the summer. I used to sit with her and I realize now how special those times were. Quiet times just her and me.
Thankfully she was able to enjoy the summer before the end came. We were all thankful for that. With my mother's illness I always thought as long as there was life there was hope.
We had her for longer than the doctors said. In the end it was pain free for her, which is the way my father and I wanted her to go.
Randy, I'm sure your mother will know of those special times she had with you, as you have of those memories now. I am sure they will have helped her work through her illness.
I know my mother was very positive around people who were positive. Positivity helped her fight another day. She stayed positive and focused far longer than the doctors told her she would.