Anchors Away - Perspective and Your Journey to Wellness

I've only been on small sail boats a couple of times when I was a kid.
As an adult my boat experiences have been on cruise ships, a very different experience.
The thing both types of boats have in common is the anchor.
The anchor keeps the boat stationary, keeps it from drifting with the current, and allows the boat to create a temporary resting place.
When facing a chronic or life-threatening illness an anchor can be viewed in two ways.
First it can be the stabilizing factor that keeps you in place long enough to face the issues at hand.
It prevents you from drifting away from the core issues facing you regarding treatment or symptoms related to your health challenge.
On the other hand, the anchor can be the thing that prevents you from exploring new opportunities.
It's the piece of the puzzle that keeps you tethered to old ways of thinking.
If you haven't created a new mind set following your diagnosis being tethered to the past can be detrimental to your emotional and spiritual stabilizers that guide you on your journey to wellness.
Keeping yourself attached to the fantasy of a life without the current challenge is just that, a fantasy.
Being anchored to an illusion is a house of cards waiting to fall.
Let's take a look at it from another perspective.
If you've made the internal adjustments following your diagnosis then the anchor may be what you need to stay in one place long enough for the benefits of treatment or new information to take hold.
We all need time to assimilate information into our being and the anchor can be that force that keeps you in one place long enough for you to see the results, hopefully the results you desire.
Where is this line of thinking headed? A lot of how we deal with a diagnosis is based on our frame of reference.
The impact is based on the perspective we take about the health challenge and whether or not we feel empowered or helpless.
The hope is that you find ways to shift your perspective to one that is empowering.
An empowered patient is a better partner with the medical team who is working to minimize symptoms and disease progression.
Your frame of reference will also serve as the lens through which all your experiences pass.
Developing the capacity to shift your perspective is a step toward optimism and hope; both necessary ingredients for health and healing.