How to Overcome or Be Healed By Your Own Illness with a Positive Attitude

We often think that until a person has experienced a great tragedy in their family or had a near-death injury, it is difficult to appreciate the simple things in life that we all too often take for granted. In society we are currently reading about the breakdown of parenthood resulting from the high divorce rate, or the angry youth who doesn’t perceive the importance of life and therefore kill at their whim. Our elderly are neglected and abused on a regular basis when in nursing homes because of low-paid and badly managed staff.

Our pride and our health are being neglected. Science is in a race to cure all diseases and help us live even longer. Is this what it is all about? No! The answer is to strive for a quality of life that brings joy, fulfillment, a sense of accomplishment, and decency to others. A long life, which is comprised of great misery and pain, is not as bearable as a healthy, vibrant, happy life. We always hear people say “life is too short” or “you never know when you\'ll die; you might get struck by a car while crossing the street.” Do we heed these sayings? It can come down to a key element that we all have: attitude.

If an ill person assumes responsibility for his own attitude toward himself and others, he can rise above even the most devastating of circumstances. We know that people who have been tortured or lived in solitary confinement for a long time, and people enduring a state of genocide in their midst, train themselves to focus on the very basic activities that help them survive pain, ridicule, and starvation. They create games and things that become a source of amusement, laughter…a state of mind where the torment that causes their suffering is absent.

During a medical procedure when a patient is under anesthesia, he is beyond pain, so the fears associated with it are not stimulated. We have seen religious and mind-control exercises in several cultures that actually produce the same result without ingesting any chemical substances; thereby some valuable lessons can be learned.

How we think and how our biological machine works is part of the answer to healing the body, mind, and soul.

Those who live with a chronic illness and live in areas or circumstances in the United States where access to care is not a major obstacle, receive the medicines and care that give them very positive outcomes (provided they are proactive and compliant with their doctor or nurse practitioner) because they are motivated to get well.

What about people with the same illnesses in parts of the world where they do not have access to state-of-the-art care? If they are happy and have the emotional support in their circle of friends, does this make a difference in their outcome as a patient?

The outcomes that produce healing and wellness involve more than just the procedure or the medications the patient takes. The patient’s outlook and disposition toward the future make a big difference. Ambitions, goals, and activities help the healing process. The person’s expectations and dreams do make a difference. People do overcome terrible illnesses where doctors have lost hope, and recovery happens even when all hope seems lost. Giving up is not a productive attitude, but persistence and a resolve to keep fighting definitely help point the person in the right direction. However, only you can make the decision to lose the weight, or become sober, or get your health on track.

Pondering the plight one is engulfed in does not usually change his quality of life. It is a proactive decision leading to action that moves the needle. This motivation can be inspired by the desire to achieve lifelong dreams, goals, ambitions, or whatever excites one to action. This is human nature.

I have survived cancer, two liver transplant surgeries, and three chronic conditions that have slowed me down a little. But I now run faster, and at 60 years old I am going for another 40. The mindset is just not to give up or quit but to have your sights set on something down the road. Having this will help you succeed in having a brighter outlook on the future and enjoying the ride along the way.

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