Acceptance.

Accepting change can be difficult especially when it affects your current lifestyle whether it be physical, mental or both. Illness often changes our lifestyle’s dramatically, like a stroke for example. Stroke’s are cruel, my Nan suffered a stroke and all she could say was no, she lost all her independence in terms of mobility. She could not accept what had happened to her and I have to say I don’t blame her at all.

When I woke up from my three-month coma after my fight with Anti NMDA Receptor Encephalitis I couldn’t talk or move. I had never felt so helpless I was trying to talk to my family but I made no noise mainly because there was a hole in my windpipe from where my tracheostomy had been. I hated the fact I had lost all control but I could hear the doctors and nurses telling me my movement and speech would come back.  This gave me hope, as my recovery progressed I started thinking more and more about what I had lost, relationships had broken down, I was never going to play sports again, I just couldn’t accept it, what was I going to do?

“Once we accept our limits,

We go beyond them”

Albert Einstein

My dad kept telling me there was no point in thinking about the past and what I had because It wouldn’t change anything. So I started focussing on what I had gained which was a fresh perspective on life and what really matters. I looked for positives to the situation anywhere I could, right now is a good example as I’m blogging and writing I have more time to do this and share my experience and help other people going through hardship. I have found less is more, we are not the sum of our possessions but rather we are what we contribute to society and the world. I have got rid a lot of possessions and this has helped me and gave me a clearer mind. I have so much more time to appreciate the art of the world around me like tree’s and there eternal majesty. Tree’s hold such a dear place in my heart, there was a huge oak tree at my primary school and whenever I see it I remember all the fun times I had as a child around it, playing football, digging for fossils that weren’t there and it brings a smile to my face. I think everyone has a something like that they can appreciate for free and think about with joy. Another reason its special to me is I had an acorn from that tree and now I have my own very small oak tree in a pot in my garden.

Accept change and try to see positives and how these difficult changes are actually making you a stronger human being. Go outside, enjoy the sunshine, have a glass of water and live life to the full!

Adam Cowan

 

How minamalism helped me in my recovery.

I found minimalism in a blog and immediately I realised this is what I needed to clear my mind of all the mental junk I had. I have been recovering from a pretty serious series of illnesses most recently a brain disease called ANTI NMDA Receptor Encephalitis. It’s left me a little more focused on things than I used to be and having a room full of “stuff” was not helping with this because all these things we keep in our personal spaces take up our mental space even if we don’t realise it.

The first thing I done was get rid of clothes I wasn’t wearing, which was quite a lot. Next I moved onto technology which unlike the clothes I didn’t donate, I sold them. I Sold my TV, sound system, Xbox, PS4 and handheld games console. I then started on what I like to call “tat” you know paper clips, drawers full of pens and pencils you will never use. Then there were the ornaments I was pretty ruthless here and chucked all of them including pictures and prints so my walls and windowsill are now bare and clear, Like my mind!

I feel like it’s a fresh start for my mind, body and soul. I can focus on things that really matter like my writing, reading, photography and guitar. I have also opted for neutral whites and greys for colour in my room and keeping it simple and fresh with wooden furniture. Also getting rid of so much stuff had freed up a lot of room and made it easy to store the items I truly value, Organising things like t-shirts, socks and underwear is so much simpler and efficient giving me even more time to work on my true goals.

It’s really helping with my recovery not just from a mental standpoint but also physical because I have so much more space it’s easier for me to move around my room as I am not very mobile at the moment.

There is something very serene about an empty windowsill.

 

 

 

 

It’s ok for bad things to happen.

It’s inevitable that in our relatively short lifespans bad things will happen so it’s important that we are prepared to deal with such events.

There are ecological disasters, terrorist atrocities, illness and personal affairs that constantly try to trip us up. I have had my fair share of illnesses starting with open heart surgery that went wrong but I got better and that’s the important part that I’d like to discuss with you.

We will all go through some hardship in our lives, some more than others but it’s how we bounce back that’s the important part. You need to have a fighting spirit and that doesn’t mean being a tough guy, I’ve cried plenty and that’s ok it shows you care about yourself, others and your situation. It shows that you want things to get better and that’s the fighting spirit.

After my open heart surgery I went to rehab and worked so hard to get my heart into some sort of reasonable shape. It takes time and results will not happen over night but if you keep trying and push yourself you will succeed.

About a year after my open heart surgery I suffered a cardiac arrest and this pushed me back yet again but I didn’t give up I kept fighting and got myself fit once again, just as I did however I got a brain disease and spent 3 months in a coma, I then had to learn to walk, talk, eat again it’s been my hardest journey so far and I’m still recovering from it almost a year from when it started. So if you ever feel like things are getting too much just remeber your human spirit can be so overwhelmingly strong and get you through just about anything if you want it badly enough.

On a side note because I never gave up I’ve got to see my nephew and enjoy the warm summer weather we have at the moment which doesn’t happen that often in Scotland, so like I said keep going and never give up cause you don’t want to miss out.

View from my hammock. Life is worth living when roses look that beautiful.