Staying Positive Despite Disability

Disability is never something someone plans for — especially sudden disability. You might have been in an accident and are now suddenly disabled. Or perhaps your disability developed more slowly, over a period of time. In any case, your life has changed, and you are dealing with many strong emotions. You are also adjusting to living with a disability. We understand that your world has been turned upside down!

Why A Positive Attitude Can Be Your New Best Friend

Most of us have heard about the power of a positive attitude over and over, but can a positive attitude really help someone with a new disability deal with loss and hardship? Absolutely. In particular, choosing to be positive (which is basically focusing more on the good things in life than the bad and being thankful for what you do have, even if it is slight) will help you to gain control over your thoughts, emotions, and life.

Harness A Positive Attitude And Take Control Of Your Life

You may not have had any control over preventing your disability. This has perhaps left you feeling fearful and totally helpless. The truth is that sometimes things happen over which we truly have no control, but we do have control over our response to those difficulties. You can actually take your power back by choosing your attitude and response to your disability. In doing this you are disempowering the tragedy you experienced and robbing it of its ability to control your attitude. Can you see how this puts you in a position of empowerment?

What Does A Positive Attitude Look Like For A Newly Disabled Individual?

Someone who is newly disabled must understand that a positive attitude is not a naive attitude. It does not deny the problem or turn its face away from the pain. It simply chooses to focus on and enlarge the positive things in a situation. A positive focus and view of life is crucial since what you focus on will grow.

What do you want to grow in your life? Healthy relationships, a fulfilling career, a great self-image, etc.? You will need to purposely think about those things. A negative attitude will look at your situation and say, “You are disabled. Your life isn’t going how you planned. Now you won’t get to have the things you want. You are helpless.”

Conversely, a positive attitude says, “You are disabled. Your life didn’t go quite how you planned. This doesn’t feel good. But you can still have the things you want. It might take some re-calculating to get to your dreams, but you can get there. It might take longer and be a little more difficult, but it’s possible.”

What Attitude Will You Choose To Have?

What is the hardest thing about staying positive in the midst of disability? A positive attitude about your disability can truly help you take control of your thoughts and life. Will you choose to have a positive attitude in the face of adversity? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.