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Sunday, 17 August 2014

How To: Cope With Being Different

I know I have skirted round this topic in the past but never really addressed it personally! So here you go...hope you like it...


We all are different, may I begin by saying? Some things that work for me may not work for you but if you don’t try something then you’ll never know. I was raised to believe in myself, know my limitations and exercise what I wanted to do. I’ve never known a different life to the one I am living. That is a very important thing to point out. While I can but imagine what other people go through in their lives, I can never know. So the best anyone can do is relate whatever it is to one off their past or present experiences.


I try to help people given my own past experience has been very unsocial really. When I was at university, of course, I was out most nights, if not to a club than just at the Student Union socializing. School was slightly harder. I went to my local Primary school and my friends all lived in this area. Secondary school was different. I went to a school in another county and it was harder to see my friends outside of school. It was hard which is why I’m very self-contained, if it’s my problem it’s MY problem, no one else has to worry about it. I think I am getting better at being more open, but it is a work still in progress.


I was raised to believe that being different was just part and parcel of the whole life experience. I’ve never had another life and to be honest I’m happy with the one I’ve been given. Sure, it is a little harder but I generally get respect for that. People don’t know the ins and outs of my life, and that’s a good thing I think. They don’t think it’s as boring as it really is! Respect is not automatically given to me. Sometimes I do have to earn it. Whether that comes from listening to someone, looking at something from another angle or whatever, I have become quite good at these things. Everybody wants to be heard. It’s as simple as that. Everybody has a voice which is hard to hear in the busy world we live in. Don’t lose faith in what is good in life. It will find you when the time is right. Is that just something I tell myself? I don’t know but it’s a good affirmation.


 I have come to terms with the fact that I might not be able to do some things as readily as other people. That is really important. For instance, I need rails both sides of the stairs to get up them and it takes me a little more time to climb a flight of stairs. Luckily in my house we do have rails both sides, because I used to live upstairs when my legs weren’t as bad, and that’s comforting to know that if and when I do need something I can get up there. But I don’t go up there without supervision, although that can be a trapping mechanism, I generally have everything I need on ground level. It’s just an adaption that comes so naturally to me now that I don’t really think about it.


I don’t know how I did it to be honest. I’d seen my brother go through it, so I thought it was just the way life went. I refuse to believe that I’m strong; I’ve just reacted in a positive way to the conditions this life has presented to me.

Hope this helped.

Steph

XxX

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