But there are also people who start to define themselves by their disease or suffering - "I am a victim of (fill in the blank)", or "I am a survivor of (fill in the blank)", which in theory is probably a better approach, but still a definition based on an illness or disease.
My philosophy has always been to not define myself by my illness - the big d (and it doesn't get a capital either!) I can't imagine living a life where all of my energy is put into my disease. Don't get me wrong, I would not survive if I pretended it did not exist because after 25 years it becomes your life, but doesn't have to define it.
Still with me?
I truly believe that focusing on the positive, focusing on the healthy and the happy is what keeps me going. If I sat at my cubicle each day obsessing about the fact that I have an electronic device attached to me 24-7 (also known as an insulin pump), that looks like it's an iPod from 1983, my health would suffer. Emotionally I would drain myself of any happiness, and physically I would probably dig myself into a rut as well. But disease or no-disease everyone can benefit from this outlook on life. Take a moment and give thanks to the universe AND yourself for giving you the ability to read this blog post, the ability to make a healthy salad for lunch, the ability to run 5km after work or even walk the dog around the block.
Once we start being thankful, things start to look brighter and soon you will forget that you are attached to a mini-beeping device that resembles R2D2's left arm ;)
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