It all started around 3:30 on a Monday afternoon in August. The horrible day that left me with a broken foot, new wheelchair, and a mind/ body that felt stuck, confused, and truly unsure how to cope with a new reality. Only the one foot was broken, but suddenly my entire existence felt paralyzed. I started to worry; what was I going to do now that I couldn’t get out of the house on my own, couldn’t swim, bike, run, couldn’t even take a shower without help. My head swam with the negative thoughts of all the things I couldn’t do; all the fun I couldn’t have, and the dire truth of my reality. I was unable to get past the despairing thoughts that consumed me, threatening to drive me crazy.

Almost three months have come and gone since what I now call the day of the broken foot. Yes, I still have to wear a boot to keep the foot aligned and protected. Yes, I still am unable to swim, bike, or run, and yes, it is still very frustrating to say the least. But the real difficulties are the imaginary ones that exist exclusively between my ears.

My friends, I discovered that getting stuck in my head got me nowhere. It was my amazing family that encouraged me, pushed me to do the exercises and stretches, and made me laugh when circumstances threatened to remove the smile from my face forever. They convinced me that though my foot was truly broken, the negativity that had engulfed me was only  holding me back.

What difficulties are consuming your life? Maybe it’s something physical or emotional. Whatever it might be, I want to encourage you not to get stuck in your head. Don’t make it worse than it is and don’t hesitate to reach out for help, or to ask questions to clarify a problem. Because when you can identify and overcome the real difficulties and leave the imaginary ones behind, only the best is yet to come!