In March I was honored to attend and speak at FACES 2015 Encephalitis Conference in Las Vegas. I was reminded that while so many of us who have experienced encephalitis feel alone, we aren’t. And, that while so many family members of those with encephalitis feel alone, they aren’t.
We are a family. Often distant. Often not receiving correct medical and psychological care. Often afraid. Often feeling alone. Often unaware that we are a family. But a family.
And I believe we are a family needing to glance at our situations and smile. Working through our pains and questions, dealing with our health conditions, adjusting our methods of learning—and smiling.
But how?
Here are thoughts from my book Changing My Mind that helped me:
The electrical system of our brains is often tricky. So is that system of the physical hearts and the spiritual hearts. So is that system of relationships, desires, choices, and results. We sleep and we awaken. We lie down and we jump up. We notice a fan rotating and a mate breathing. We ask for answers and hear silence. We want to be left alone and feel covered by noise. That is life. For all of us. All of us, each disabled in our general way as fallen man, each disabled in specific ways which only belong to us.
But we can think it through. Rather than retreating and being defeated, we can choose to wake from our selfness, our state of being, our disability, our stress. We can wake and smile. We can walk, pray, sing, and laugh. Eyes can see each day as new. Ears can hear noises and pause for a smile. Inner beings can dare the mind to mind us, refusing to let disabilities destroy our true abilities to adjust, adapt, and rejoice amid our mental power outages.
– For more of Chris Maxwell’s story about his illness, purchase the eBook version of his book Changing My Mind.
– And please support Encephalitis Global.
I have somewhat of a mixed personality. From what I can figure, I am an ambivert (mix between extrovert and introvert). Because of this, I go through modes of being outgoing and modes of being closed off. In both modes there is a challenge to make myself do the things (I think) I don’t want to do. Whether its to be silent when I want to be loud, or to be loud when I want to be silent. While this may not be a medical condition, it still threatens to steal my joy sometimes. I am beginning to realize that most of the time making myself do something I feel like I do not want to do, actually helps me understand what I REALLY want to do. In my spiritual life, it is sometimes the same thing. I will want so badly to pray and spend time with God one week and then have absolutely NO desire to spend time with him the next week. I am finding that choosing Him in the second week is much more rewarding than just putting in my time the first week and giving up the second.
This is so interesting. The loneliness that one person feels may not be the same loneliness another feels, but it’s all lonely. It is difficult to remember that there is always someone there, but it is so crucial to life.
We all might have differences in our lives but we all have someone out there that is going to be there for us and help us get through the pains and differences.
It’s never easy when the feeling of loneliness comes. I often have to remind myself that I am not alone. Hanging a poster in my room and talking to God about his presence and the presence of others is a big thing that helps me when I am feeling alone.
Words bring us together. Even though i will never understand fully, the word “alone” helps me to be one. With a single word i can bring myself to the situation. No matter the path i took to end up at that word, i still end in the same destination. Life is the same way, we all have different path but always end up at the same check points. But the greatest encouragement is that one day all believers will end up at the same finish line and this word will never be mentioned again.
I am content with loneliness many times because I can get in God’s presence. I grew up never really know what being alone meant, so sometimes it is nice for me to get alone. I like it.
I am plagued sometimes by viewing my mistakes as just mistakes. By dwelling and harboring on things that are done and in the past. This causes me to in fact make more mistakes. What i learned by reading this is that mistakes happen, but learning and recovery are choices that i must make in order to grow in my walk with Christ.
“And I believe we are a family needing to glance at our situations and smile. Working through our pains and questions, dealing with our health conditions, adjusting our methods of learning—and smiling.”
I think that smiling is one of the biggest components. Sometimes when life seems difficult and we don’t know where to go from here or there, by stopping and smiling and breathing- I think it helps us tremendously. Although it may seem mundane to stop and see the bright things can often re-direct our mindsets bring positive change.