Navigating Seasons: Overcoming Challenges and Adapting to Change

Sometimes, when we emerge from a difficult season, we must be mindful not to continue living with the same attitude or mood that we had during that time. I'm not suggesting that we should be fake or overly compromise on our emotions. It's crucial to express and discuss how we feel so that we don't become consumed by those emotions. But once the season has passed, do we fall into a cycle of that feeling or attitude?

In 2022, I remember really struggling with my mental health, experiencing constant panic attacks and anxiety due to environmental factors. After that season had passed, I found myself still stuck in the same habits, such as not getting out of bed at an appropriate time and lacking a motivating routine to get me going. During this experience, after I had overcome this, I was in a habit or routine of not getting ready or going out of the house, and I had to force myself back into a routine as I felt 'well' enough but was in the mindset that I didn't want to. It is a strange feeling when your body and mind feel completely different from each other.

From my own experience, my mind has had to keep up with how my body feels, but this can work in the opposite way. For example: When I was diagnosed with heart failure, it took my mind a while to recognize and take in the impact of the news. My mind went into coping mode, focusing on the first step of this news, which was that I needed a heart procedure. But it wasn't just the thought of the physical process that I had to go through; it was the understanding and belief in what I had been diagnosed with. It was a huge shock. I knew I was unwell, but being neurodiverse, I have a high pain tolerance and pushed through awful symptoms. Now, I know I need to rest the majority of the time; otherwise, I will be unwell.

With these two examples, it is so important to listen to our bodies and minds. We need to watch how our attitude can change or get stuck into a cycle or where we need to create new routines to protect our bodies and not feel guilty. I have felt the frustration and disappointment where I can no longer do things that I was able to do, and this has an impact every day as I have to plan ahead if I go to physical places or plan how I am going to reserve my energy during the week if things are planned outside of my normal routine so I don't make myself more ill or trigger off symptoms.

Overall, please don't ever feel guilty having to make adjustments or changes. You need to look after yourself and it is normal to grieve over your old life but I see you.