Introducing Myself
Hello, my name is Gentle Glow.
I've been on 7 Cups for a few months now and figured I would introduce myself. I am a 30 year old female from the UK who loves volunteering. I am very community driven and feel like everyone deserves to be heard and validated - hence why I LOVE 7 Cups.
However, what brought me to 7 Cups originally as a member, was the fact I lacked a supportive community who knew what it was like to live with chronic pain/illness and disability. It's such a beautiful community, and I am so happy that I have found my place.
Also, here's an icebreaker:
What has your disability taught you about yourself?
@AGentleGlow Hi there and welcome to the Disability Support Community!
Its great that you have introduced yourself. So many people find 7 Cups feels like a supportive home and as a Listener you are a helping our members with their emotional support. Also coming from a member background will give you a better understanding of how listeners can help to make a difference.
I look forward to reading more of your posts.
@AGentleGlow It taught me that I’m making it through something that I didn’t think that I’d be able to.
@adventurousBranch3786 you're so strong 😊
@AGentleGlow. Welcome to the disability community 😊.
Hey there, Glow...you can call me Slow.
(I'm not really a poet, & I know it) 😉
That's a rather interesting question... One thing my main disability revealed, I already knew: I'm pretty good at figuring out solutions to problems that cannot be solved on a conventional way. It's the old "if you encounter a wall & can't climb over it, dig under it or go around it" thing.
I learned that I can generate great willpower* when necessary...& that it isn't always necessary. When you're chronic, if you push yourself through a tough time then you will pay the price for it. Sometimes the smart thing to do is to stop, "power down" & wait until the worst is over.
@slowdecline48 🤣 I know that feeling, it is the energy that gives parents the power of strength to lift a car if their child was underneath, or the super-tensile strength that comes from harnessing the energy of anger and frustration and then rage all in one?
Remember this thread https://www.7cups.com/forum/disabilities/ArticlesResourcesConditionSpecificInformation_458/BoomorBustAllaboutpacing_327034/
😆 Yes, I remember that thread! Commented on it, too...I think I responded a few days after you put it up. But yeah, every so often when my conditions are keeping me horizontal, the frustration builds up to critical mass. At that point I switch to "F*** This" mode, haul myself upright & then do whatever I was fixated on....even while knowing there will be a price to pay the day after. Sometimes it's worth it.
@slowdecline48 thank you for this response. You sound very resilient. I think in some ways, disability teaches us to be. Thank you for being so vulnerable 😊