Recovery Mindset | FND Recovery

Resolutions

May the year 2021 bring us health, normalcy, and the end of the pandemic. May we never again take for granted being able to see and hug those we love. For me, and I suspect most of us who have followed precautions, that has been the most difficult part of this year. We watched our granddaughter open the doll I had made for her from a distance, outside. My arms ached to hold her, but my daughter is pregnant, has a chronic illness, and we are being extremely careful. The new year should bring vaccinations for my husband and me, and I’ve never been so excited to be poked with a needle.

Gratitude

Last month, I had a sobering anniversary. October 10 marked 20 years since my Functional Neurological Disorder symptoms began. It was a bit of a rough day as I reflected on the past twenty years. They haven’t been easy, that’s for sure. If you share my FND diagnosis, I don’t have to tell you that. Confusion, depression, despondency, hopelessness, and self-contempt marked many of those years.

Coaching Yourself to Better Health

In my experience, one of the keys to recovery from Functional Neurological Disorder lies in your willingness to discover those thoughts and beliefs that lie deep within yourself and your ability to accept what you find, analyze it, challenge it if necessary, and replace unhealthy thoughts and beliefs with new ones that serve you better. It’s not easy to dig through all of the layers of protection your mind has created and confront things that you prefer to think aren’t there. It takes courage to accept that there are parts of you that, well, aren’t very pretty.

What Recovery Means to Me

Sometimes other people with Functional Neurological Disorder will ask me, “So, are you back to 100% then?”. If that means I am back to the hard-driving, multi-tasking, “Wonder Woman” of my pre-FND days, then no. That isn’t something I would want even if I could have it. Of course there are things that I miss about the old me. Having more energy is definitely on my wish list.

The Incredible Power of your Mind

Do you believe that your mind has the power to heal you? Research suggests that it does.

The Question of Psychology

Does the word “psychological” make you angry and frustrated? So many people I have met with FND are very put off by any suggestion of a psychological component to this disorder. I’d like to try to change some of the thinking behind that reaction.

Psychology is nothing more than the study of the mind and behavior. If you are a living, breathing human, you are affected by the things that psychologists study. Psychological does not equal crazy, mad, or fake. It does not mean that you are making anything up.

Talking to Myself

We all talk to ourselves, but we aren’t always aware of it. It can be really helpful to become more aware of the things that we say to ourselves and change our self-talk to words that are more affirming, confidence-building, and reassuring. If you have Functional Neurological Disorder, it’s especially important to be aware of what you are thinking and telling yourself.

One day this week, I noticed that my legs were feeling weak. Now, it’s important to pay attention to what we are feeling in our bodies, but what we say to ourselves about what we are feeling is critical.