I Thought It Was Over
In my last post, I told you my husband and I were recovering from covid and would be 100% very soon. I thought it was over. The next week, my symptoms returned with a vengeance and the doctor said it was a secondary bacterial infection. He put me on an antibiotic and steroid and I’m almost better. I think it’s over. Seriously.
Art Credit: Our Life Journey by Luiza Vizoli
Famous last words. I can’t count how many times I thought something was over only to discover little seeds had been germinating underground to start the whole thing over.
I thought I was done grieving.
I thought I had met all my alters.
I thought I was integrated.
I thought I was over depression, anxiety, lack of self-worth, hopelessness, identity confusion, and suicidal ideation. Oh, wait. I really am over this last list of symptoms. At least, I haven’t experienced any of them in decades.
So there IS a silver lining in this journey called life. Our challenges are never over, but we heal one part of us to have space to focus on another. We take two steps forward and one back. We learn from our past and survive another day. We plan for our future and survive another day. We live in the present and survive another day.
It’s never over but we grow stronger, wiser, and more capable to navigate our lives toward whatever goals we may have. In my case, that’s a sense of peace, purpose, and happiness. Thinking it’s over is probably a coping strategy that compels us to grow, but knowing it’s a lifelong process is wisdom.
Self Care
We have officially entered the holiday season. Depending on who we are or what we’ve experienced, the holidays can be joyful or disastrous. We have the choice to enter into festivities or walk away from them. We can put others first or put ourselves first.
We have one month until 2023. Yikes! Take care of yourself as we tick off the clock. It’s never over!
Holiday Dissociative Writers Schedule
(All times are 1:00 pm Eastern unless otherwise noted)
November 29: Writing-in-Place
December 6: Traditional
December 12: Dissociative Writers Meeting (6:30 pm Eastern)
December 13: Writing-in-Place
December 20: Social Hangout
December 27: No Workshops
January 3: Traditional
Holiday Gift
Give a friend, therapist, or significant other the gift of my memoir Crazy: Reclaiming Life from the Shadow of Traumatic Memory. Available through Amazon or other online bookstores. If you can’t put your story into words (yet), maybe my story can help you find them.
If you’ve already read Crazy, give a gift to me 😇 by going to Amazon and rating and/or reviewing it. Thank you!
🕊
Life is a journey, not a destination.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Lyn