MY KIND OF THERAPY – OPENING UP AND LETTING IT OUT
I can’t believe that it’s three years ago I started to share my deepest thoughts and feelings through poetry on this blog. First of all , I must say a big Thankyou to my daughter and a very special friend of mine for giving me the confidence and pushing me to share. I have and always will be, still very nervous and shy when I post. But I can say that now due to you, the lovely people, who have liked & commented on my poetry, you have made me feel that my poetry is not just helping me but helping you too. Thank you my friends.
As I share my thoughts and feelings through my blog, I have realised how much this has helped me. I look at it as my own personal therapy session, where I invite people to stop by and maybe join in with my therapy. It’s been so lovely to find all you beautiful souls out there, who are experiencing and feeling the same as I. It’s so good to know that we are not alone in our journey. That we can help each other through the times we need someone to be there.
I was thinking whatever did I do before the blog? Was I not coping? How was I sharing my feelings?
I went back many years, to when I was first diagnosed with Charcot Marie tooth disease & I was suffering with chronic pain. My family was young then, I tried very hard to keep my feelings to myself. I was always there for anyone who needed a shoulder to cry on, or an ear to listen. I think, that was what helped me , while I was helping someone else, I wasn’t thinking about what was going on with me. Although looking back I probably was lying to myself and my family. I did go through a very bad stage. I suppose you could say I was hiding from the world. Not caring or looking after myself. When I think back now, I must have been going through a depression. This lasted quite a few years. I could have lost my way. Luckily I came through it. I won’t go into detail. Because that’s another story. Also when I was diagnosed, the neurologist told me to go live my life and get on with it. This is what I did. I can honestly say I never really complained or shared what I was going through for a very long time.
As the years went by, my condition obviously progressed. My pain got worse. I had a life threatening moment, when I had to go into hospital. Then when I was 50 I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after many years of me hiding my symptoms, coping the best way I knew how. thinking it was obviously something to do with my Charcot Marie tooth disease. I think , all of a sudden, I finally woke up and realised that I actually might need some help.
I was quite naive concerning social media etc. But thanks to my daughter helping me, I joined a Parkinson’s forum on FB , and the rest is history. I became friends with a wonderful lady who helped me through my first year and we are still friends today. We have never met, but we have spoken through FaceTime. I know she will always be there for me, as I’m always here for her.
I now belong to quite a few forums, talk to many people all over the world. I suppose you could say it’s become a big part of my life. I’m really grateful to be a part of such a large family of people living with Parkinson’s and many other conditions too. I would like to say that I think people with Parkinson’s are the most talented, gifted and caring people in the world.
Thank you for being there for the last three years, hopefully we can carry on this journey together for many years to come. Hoping that one day someone will find a cure for us all
Written by Shelley Edwards (c)
LIVING WITH PARKINSONS & C.M.T. - MY THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS. 