You Don't Have To Do Things The Old Way.
I've had to learn that just because I did something a certain way, it doesn't mean I have to do something the same way.
Before my stroke, I didn't need to plan anything; I just did it. Afterwards, some bits weren't so easy.
After my stroke, if I couldn't do something as I used to, I initially saw it as a failure.
Different doesn't mean worse. It's just adaptation.
Things take longer; I have to use something extra to make a job easier, I have to carry an item differently or just do something differently than I used to. Occasionally, I still think, "This isn't like before". That's true, but my life has changed. I'm not the same person anymore.
That doesn't mean my life has disappeared. It means I've had to stop comparing myself to who I used to be.
I believed at first that recovery meant getting back to the old me. I guess deep down there's still a small part of me that thinks that.
Unfortunately, life after a stroke doesn't work the way it used to. There is stuff I do differently because otherwise it takes too long, is too difficult or, honestly, a lot of swearing happens.
I still have moments when I get frustrated and think about how easy everything used to be, and how I could just "do" things. I could, but that doesn't mean I have to. I've come to realise it's easier to do things differently and be able to get them done.
