Stroke Survivor Blog

Is it possible to get victory over disability? It’s hard to overcome the physical and emotional losses that come with stroke. Depression and discouragement are always knocking at the door, and so many stroke survivors invite them in because they feel so hopeless and useless. But we can choose to think on the negative or on the positive. We become what we think of ourselves.

A positive attitude may be easier for some than others, because some people are naturally optimistic. But even for optimistic people, disability through stroke or other circumstances can take it’s toll on your mental state of mind. So it takes determination and continual positive verbal declarations to overcome the mental disability. For instance, if you keep telling yourself that you can’t move your hand every time you try, you are already defeated. But if you tell yourself that you are going to hold a cup in your hand, you will begin picturing yourself doing so. Then little changes will start taking place every time you try to move your hand. First, the flexing of a finger, then two fingers, then your whole hand until you can grasp, and so on.

Or maybe it’s speaking again. One word at a time leads to a full vocabulary. Yes, it takes work and time, and the worst thing you can do is put a time limit on your goals. If you fall short of a goal within that set time frame, you may become so discouraged that you give up. It’s necessary to keep moving toward the goal in order to achieve it. Slow and steady, steady and slow, that’s the only way to go!

Be encouraged by the video below of an amazing man with a very severe physical disability, but only his body is handicapped, not his thinking.

Make goals that are reasonable based on what you are willing to work at. If you want to walk without a cane, it will take many hours of practice to develop good balance again. If you just desire it to happen, it won’t accomplish anything if you’re not willing to put the effort into the task. Don’t let your physical limitations prevent you from trying new things. You may not be able to do things the same way you did before, so be open to learn new ways for accomplishing your goals. And most importantly, don’t give up. Then you, too, can have victory over disability.