Sometimes in life you have to be willing to “do it afraid!” Here are some steps to help you take stock, consider your options, and move forward even if you’re scared:

1. Consider Health Issues when Making a Decision

As a cancer survivor with multiple disabilities, I was not the average girl starting a family.  I had undergone extensive treatments that included multiple rounds of radiation and powerful chemotherapy.  What was the impact on my fertility?  How did this impact a future child? Should we fear birth defects, and would I even be able to have a baby? I began to search for the answers to these questions by asking my current and former doctors about the risks of pregnancy and childbirth.

• Always put your health first
• Research online, get opinions of doctors, and listen to your heart

2. Consider Practical Issues and the “real world”

After receiving the news that there was no reason I couldn’t have a child and that no obvious risks for birth defects existed, we next began to explore the practical concerns

Some of the initial concerns included how to handle a variety of tasks without vision.  Changing diapers, feeding the baby, getting the baby to appointments, traveling with 2 blind parents and a baby.  How could we possibly do these things?  We slowly found answers to these questions and formulated a plan.  There were a variety of resources out there such as a blind parents Facebook group and web sites that described how blind parents handled many tasks.

• Make a plan before you take action
• Consult with others with your limitations who have gone before you
• Consult with professionals who can offer suggestions about adaptive ways of facing the problem

3. What to do When the Rest of the World Thinks You’re Crazy

Now here’s where things got interesting…we next began to discuss our decision to have a baby with family and friends. I know our family and friends meant well, but you have to remember that most people don’t understand how we do the simplest of tasks.  Cooking, cleaning, working and just putting on makeup; this all looks impossible to the average outsider.

Thus, as we began to share our hopes and desires to have a baby with those around us, we had a variety of responses that contained elements of fear and caution mixed in with a little happiness along the way. Part of me wanted  to hear, “We will be there for you to help in any way we can,” or “Let us know how we can help.”  Yet, the reality was those on the outside had more questions and concerns than we did.

4. Remember God is the Only one you can Trust

This led me back to the rock, the firm foundation in my life.  Christ my Savior, my hope of glory.  He had brought me through before when things were impossible, and he would have to do it again.    Yet, I had no idea what kinds of struggles were ahead.  We were in unchartered territory and having a baby meant we were responsible for this life and its safety and well-being.

• Realize that your friends and family will always fall short
• Learn to put your faith in God to help you through whatever you may face
• have confidence in your ability to handle each challenge with God’s help.

5. Take a leap of Faith and Believe in Yourself

I once overheard a family friend jokingly say to my pregnant friend about her pregnancy, “You guys are smart people, we knew you guys would figure things out eventually!”  While this statement is funny, it illustrates the simplicity of childbirth.  After all, isn’t it a simple A+B=C transaction?  As I analyzed the many complicated angles of becoming blind parents, I eventually realized that I was making things too complicated.  After all, people had been having babies for thousands of years.

In the end, I realized deciding to become a parent was that simple.  With a little cooperation from my husband, we decided to take the plunge and to start trying to become pregnant.  I didn’t have all the answers, and I didn’t even know if I would be able to get pregnant due to my medical history.  I must admit, I truly didn’t believe it could be that simple.  Everything else I had accomplished in life took hard work.  I was used to failure, I was used to trying again and again, so you can imagine how amazed I was when I learned I was pregnant.  Not only that, I had been in this condition for 13 weeks before I realized our attempt was successful!

Isn’t that the way life is sometimes?  We think things have to be hard or complicated when all we need to do is to step out.  I can’t even say I always even step out in faith. Yet, as I continue to keep moving forward, one step at a time.  I am able to fill in the blanks as I go.

• Step out in faith, and do it afraid!
• Don’t be surprised when God grants you the desires of your heart
• Don’t be concerned that you don’t have all the answers, you can figure it out as you go!

In this blog entry, I presented 5 suggestions to help people with disabilities and others  learn how to pursue their dreams when these dreams seem impossible.  These steps  include consider and research health issues that may impact your dream, consider practical issues and limitations and how these impact the dream, and make a plan,  Finally, realize God is the only one you can trust and step out and take a leap of faith.

The post Do It Afraid! 5 Steps For Chasing Your Dream When The Dream Seems Impossible appeared first on Overcomers Counseling, LLC.

For persons who are newly blind and visually impaired, there is often an inner struggle and overwhelming sense of boredom as they come to a belief that their active lifestyle has grinded to a halt after the vision loss. With the thoughtful application of some simple principles and activities, however, it is possible for a newly blind person to once again realize the many benefits of an active lifestyle.

In this entry, we examine the role of fun and vitality in the rehabilitation of persons with vision loss including social and psychological benefits of fun and recreation, how to discover what is fun for each individual, and examples of recreation for persons who are blind and visually impaired.  Nancy Parkin Bashizi, director at Vision Rehabilitation Services (VRS) in Smyrna, Georgia, provides useful information about the impact of these types of activities on social and psychological well-being and presents a variety of adaptive activities and a list of resources for the blind and visually impaired.

Psychological and Social Benefits to Recreation

Physiologically, being active releases endorphins (otherwise known as the body’s happiness chemicals) and helps battle feelings of depression and isolation. Additionally, being physically active helps the body maintain its strength and fitness and contributes to overall health and well-being.

While participating in a rehabilitation program, the individual will learn new skills that allow him or her to live more independently. Taking these new skills and applying them to a social or leisure activity is both motivating and builds confidence in the ability to try new things and problem-solve. For example, gardening may be be done in pots and containers and using tactile strategies. Planting flowers and herbs that smell nice, or have bright colors allows the person to experience the joy of growing things in a new way.

Socially, connecting with others who are living an active lifestyle with vision loss can build a sense of community, lead to peer-to-peer learning, create mentoring opportunities and allow the person to learn new ways to practice the activities enjoyed before vision loss. It is always more fun to share a favorite activity with others; informal sharing of new skills is a great way to connect with others who are going through the same challenges.

Finding the Perfect Recreation for Persons with Vision Loss

According to Sharon Marttin, LCSW, fun activities are important to healthy living in adulthood.    Sharon explains that each of us should live authentically by trying new things to discover what we enjoy most rather than people pleasing or just “going along for the ride,” You can read her suggestions for steps to take to discover what you enjoy and how to promote good mental health in this process by visiting her blog at http://livewellwithsharonmartin.com/discover-whats-fun-for-you-and-authentic-living/.

It is important to actively pursue fun as an adult. Explore various types of fun to discover what you enjoy most; don’t participate in activities just because others enjoy the activity. Instead, make a decision to try new things and learn about yourself.

Resources for Activities for persons with vision loss

• Persons with vision loss should contact their local vocational rehabilitation agency to obtain services through organizations such as Vision Rehabilitation Services. These organizations can help the person who is newly blind or visually impaired gain the necessary skills to participate in a variety of leisure activities.
• No matter what the favorite pastime may have been BEFORE vision loss, chances are there is a way to adapt it to meet the new situation. Connecting with a Vision Rehabilitation Therapist or friend who is participating in that activity are two ways to explore adaptations and new strategies.
• Many clients at VRS continue to weight train, practice yoga or martial arts, swim or hike, with their vision loss. The individual with vision loss should ask a professional Orientation & Mobility Specialist to assist in learning strategies for participating in these activities in a new way.
• Explore and / or join an organization that specializes in adapting sports for the visually impaired such as Georgia Blind Sports Association, http://www.gablindsports.com/ to learn new sports and connect with others who like to try new things. This organization offers tandem biking, GoalBall, kayaking and beep baseball.
• Check out resources such as Hadley Institute for the blind and visually impaired at www.Hadley.edu for online or correspondence classes in leisure activities such as container gardening, birdsong tutor or learning a new language.

In sum, there are many psychological and social benefits to being active for a person who is blind or visually impaired, including an elevated mood resulting from being active and a sense of community and independence that comes from participating in recreational events with others who are blind or visually impaired.   Each individual should take the time to discover which activities they are best suited to based on his or her interests and abilities.   Rehabilitation services through organizations such as VRS can help the person who is blind or visually impaired obtain the skills and resources needed to participate in adapted recreation, leisure, and sports activities so the person can promote a strong sense of fun and vitality in life.

For more information, contact Nancy Parkin Bashizi at Vision Rehabilitation Services, 3830 South Cobb Drive, Suite 125, Smyrna, GA 30080, phone 770-4327280

Also, please visit Sharon Marttin’s blog at http://livewellwithsharonmartin.com/discover-whats-fun-for-you-and-authentic-living/.

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