Accommodate For Your Needs
A flag is thrown on the field. Opposing players and teammates take a knee. The injured football dude is carried off the field, it seems to be an unfortunate torn hamstring. This means that he will have to sit out for the next two games this week with an increase of PT. A common, accepted accommodation right? This list of things to do for him is written out for him and is required for him to do in order to ensure a happy, healthy recovery so he can get back on the field with his teammates and fans who are counting on him. The team can feel his absence but they respect his top priority to get better. If he were to continue to play with a torn hamstring it wouldn’t be a respected honor, it doesn’t make him a selfless person. It has a high risk of increased losses and decreased talent shown on the field. The all too familiar line of “you’re only as strong as your weakest link” can be shown true to this scenario.
When someone is visibly injured, everyone recognizes it and is more accepting of it. That person then accommodates for that. Whether it be a twisted ankle, broken leg or a loss of a limb. That person adapts, this could be temporary or permanent adaptation. Why is a physical “diagnosis” more accepting than a mental diagnosis? Why is it easier for adaptations to occur when there is visible proof? I’m asking these questions to make you think. It made me think.
“Whether an illness affects your heart, your legs, or your brain. It’s still an illness and there should be no distinction”
Let’s say that you get diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. You knew it was coming. Hearing it from your trusted family doctor or psychiatrist makes it real though. What does this mean? This means that you are going to have to sit down with yourself, family members and/or therapist to come up with a plan for you to accept this and come up with ways to accommodate your needs to ensure you live a healthy, happy life. Did you notice I used the word accommodate? The same word I used when explaining a physical diagnosis/injury? When thinking about your mental health, you need to find ways that work for you to live a safe and enjoyable life. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, it doesn’t make you weak or any less of a person.
We are all different in our own way and that is more than okay. This is a journey of finding your yellow. Embracing your yellow. Following your yellow. A quick recap on what “yellow” means in this aspect.... Yellow isn’t a color, it’s a metaphor of finding what makes YOU happy. Knowing what makes YOU happy. Accepting what makes YOU happy. Full on embracing YOU.
Take Care Of Yourself,
Darling.
Self-Care
What this really boils down to is self-care. Self-care ensures we are not burning ourselves out and we are giving from a glass that is full. In this instance, self-care is needed when accommodations are needed in order to heal and feel safe. For example, if you get anxious and panic when driving during the nighttime.. Make arrangements so that you don’t put yourself or others in harm's way. This could mean sleeping at a friends until morning if you know you aren’t going to make it home before dark, staying at a hotel when an unexpected long night happens, having a friend pick you up at night (a car can always be picked up the next day), run errands earlier in the morning or on the weekends, etc. These are all not out of the ordinary things that you can do for yourself. You don’t need to worry about what others may think about your accommodations, they don’t need to know why you don’t drive at night. You don't need to explain why you do things if you don’t want to. Unless you trust and want to tell that person of course. You hold the reins on your life, you have control. Crazy right?