From time to time situations occur in our lives that force us out of our regular routine. We temporarily are faced with making changes that we resist. These changes are forced upon us as a result of adversity in our lives.

Illness, injury, loss of a loved one, work changes, divorce, and bankruptcy can all lead to a sudden realization that our lives have changed. We want to be "normal" again. We want our lives to be as they were: fully functioning; doing the things we used to do; sleeping through the night; eating. We shudder at the thought that we will never be "normal" again.

My life drastically changed four years ago after an injury paralyzed me from the waist down. The sudden change in my life caused me to grieve my loss and desperately cling to thoughts of returning to the life I lived before my injury. I told my physical therapist, "I want my life back." I struggled each day as I tried to do my daily self care and be mobile.

Read the entire article at http://www.ncpad.org/668/2839/2003-04-01