10 Things I Don't Do While Living With Epilepsy
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the minutes pass by. I flip the calendar to a brand new month, watching the seasons change. Leaves fall and dance in the wind, followed by snowflakes slowly floating to the ground. Smiling with ambition, dreams and hopes as the gigantic ball slides down in Times Square to welcome in a brand new year at the stroke of midnight. Throughout all of this, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, combating seizures big and small.
Living with a chronic illness is a full-time job, while maintaining your other role(s) as well. Maybe you’re a spouse, a student, an employee, a parent or a combination of any of these. We’re sometimes given a mighty mountain of responsibility, having to navigate the understandable feelings of frustration, anger, sadness or even depression. What we do physically and emotionally can help our journey be a little less rocky and a lot easier. Also, what we don’t do physically and emotionally can help us along our journey
Other relevant stories:
• How Does Epilepsy Affect Daily Life
• Famous People with Epilepsy
• Epilepsy Triggers tremendously.
Below, I’ve listed 10 things I no longer do while living with epilepsy:
- I don’t blame myself for my epilepsy diagnosis.
- I don’t hide away from the outside world because of my epilepsy diagnosis.
- I don’t look at those without epilepsy with a heavy heart.
- I don’t stop living life to the fullest because of my epilepsy diagnosis.
- I don’t keep my epilepsy diagnosis a secret.
- I don’t allow negative self-talk to join me on my journey.
- I don’t neglect my physical and emotional health because of my epilepsy diagnosis.
- I don’t prevent myself from crying when in need of emotional release.
- I don’t neglect my responsibilities because of my epilepsy diagnosis.
- I don’t give up because I have been diagnosed with epilepsy.
Epilepsy is a condition that we didn’t ask for and often weren’t prepared for. As we live with it, let us make the journey less burdensome with the will to cast aside anything that does not positively guide us forward.
I've lived with epilepsy for over 10 years, having survived a car crash as a result of a grand mal seizure. I'd been married for only four months at this time. After my diagnosis, I had to stop working, my husband and I lost our home, and had to begin our lives all over again. Inspired by this tragedy, we began researching my condition in order to better my life and the lives of others affected by this condition. We created an online community and organization - The Epilepsy Network (TEN) and also, I created a personal blog about my journey living with epilepsy (tiffanykairos.com). I have now been advocating for this cause for over seven years.
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