Part Ten: Finding,
Forming, and Understanding
Kevin’s wellness, or how he feels,
is a complex conglomeration of perception and reality. Aware or not, he has
authority over many of his physical responses. However, there will always be
some he does not control. Kevin may not have the tools with the understanding
needed to elicit a positive response. There may be no way for him to apply the
necessary treatment. If direct action and a positive mindset alone will not
advance Kevin’s wellness, external intervention may become necessary. There are
countless reasons why he will need support in each dimension of wellness. A
straightforward example from each would be:
- Physical Dimension – his doctors
- Intellectual Dimension – his teachers
- Emotional Dimension – his family
- Social Dimension – his girlfriend
- Spiritual Dimension – his priest
- Vocational Dimension – his fellow nonprofit board members
- Financial Dimension – his financial advisor
- Environmental Dimension – his friends who better follow environmentally conscious practices
Kevin uses a decision matrix,
of sorts, as a guide to help identify when and how he needs assistance. “I like
to think of myself as a disciplined and organized person,” he explains. “Life
is more comfortable when I can look at it in a mathematical, yes/no, on/off
sense. I have always been wired that way. It’s great to look at yourself as a
logical and rational individual, organized to the point where decisions are
obvious. Unfortunately, my brain often wonders from the expectation to follow
the patterns my mind finds acceptable.
“It is absolutely torturous to
struggle with emotional and artistic distress in a life where decisions should
be objective and absolute. Is this just the way I was brought up? Perhaps it’s
a chemical imbalance of sorts? Maybe a combination of those two, plus more?
“Whatever the formula, I see
this as a Byrne-family curse. It killed my father and nearly destroyed me. I
will set more significant priorities aside to compulsively follow a
pattern/routine, sometimes long after the results have ceased to produce any
benefit. I will also take a healthy, constructive lifestyle choice and
abandoned it in a moment of rage, boredom, or passion (take your pick). I’m a
disciplined and organized person right up until I am not.”
The prices he paid for some of
those shortcomings were significant.
“When I sat down to write my
explanation of a wellness assessment, I had no idea this realization would be
my explanation.”
***
The
developing draft of my story will be shared on this secure drive location: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1E4cNpkFBU4qf3zYDIqZ5Nw72DzhGe88r?usp=sharing
These are the
thoughts going through my mind as I try to piece it all together…
This is not about what my life will be like when the
fight is over.
I will never stop
I will never quit
This is my story
https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/Eleanor
100%
of the royalties earned from my books go to the National MS Society, to support
our fight: http://neverstopneverquit.com/books
Never Stop… Never Quit…®
Kevin
Byrne
Portland,
OR
www.neverstopneverquit.blogspot.com
Never Stop…
Never Quit…
Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.
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