Getting Comfortable in Our Own Skin Being Outside of the “Box”

Hello and welcome back to Second Chance to Live my friend. I am happy to have you around my table. During the past several day’s articles I have spoken to Is the Medical Model of Treatment Defining and Keeping You in a “Box”?, How I Found Freedom from the “Box” and Societal Stigmatization and How are We Teaching People to Treat Us?. In these articles, I spoke to the awareness that I gained through my process of living with a diagnosis, a prognosis, a label and societal stigmatization.

In the next series of articles, I will share what helped me to get comfortable in my own skin. I will share what helped me to find my identity outside of the “box” set by a diagnosis, a prognosis, a label, and society.

In my experience, I discovered that before I could take the action to live outside the “box” — of a diagnosis, prognosis, label and societal stigmatization — I needed to grow in both my awareness and acceptance of myself. You see the “box” sought to convince and contain me in the belief that I was defective. In my experience, the process of growing in awareness and acceptance began when the pain of denying my reality superseded my need to deny my reality. By examining my pain, I discovered that I was being blamed for what was out of my control. By examining my pain, I discovered that I was not defective, but that I had limitations and deficits that were related to my disability.

By examining my pain, I was motivated to confront the denial that kept me believing that I was defective. By examining my pain, I discovered that my deficits and limitations did not define my worth and value as an individual. By examining my pain, I found myself empowered by hope.

In my experience, I discovered that as I worked through my grieving process, I was able to stop beating up on myself for not being able to because of my disability. In my experience, I discovered that as I worked through my grieving process, I was able to stop fighting against myself. In my experience, I discovered that as I worked through my grieving process I was able to let go of the way that I thought life should be and begin living my life on life’s terms. In my experience, as I worked through my grieving process I was able to stop focusing on what did not work for me and start to look for ways to use my gifts, talents, and abilities, in ways that would work for me.

In my experience, I discovered that as I worked through my grieving process, I became more comfortable in my own skin. As I became more comfortable in my own skin, I felt more comfortable living beyond the “box”. As I became more comfortable in my skin, doors started to open for me.

In my experience, when I reached a point in time when the pain of denying my reality superseded the pain of needing to deny my reality, I realized that I needed to grieve my reality. Several years ago I wrote an article series that helped me to work through the process of being able to accept my reality. At the bottom of this article, I will provide the link to Part 1 of the article series Traumatic Brain Injury and the Grieving Process. The article series can benefit you regardless of whether you are a brain injury survivor or not my friend. I would encourage you to read through each of the 7 Parts of the article, as I believe by doing so you will grow in the acceptance of your reality.

By doing so I believe that you will become more comfortable in your own skin and will become more comfortable being outside of the “box”.

Here is the link to Part 1 of the article series: Traumatic Brain Injury and the Grieving Process – Part 1. Here are links to the other 6 Parts of the article: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 and the conclusion of this article series in Part 7.

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.” Helen Keller

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