A Negative Mind Will Never Give Us a Positive Life!

By Nadine Cruz

2 min read

It's so easy to turn a positive mindset into a negative one, right? Your brain is on the go 24/7 and if you're anything like me, who has anxiety, then your thoughts are always all over the place and it's hard to control them. Especially living with a chronic illness that no one can see--that alone gets frustrating and can put you in a bad/negative space.

All these negative thoughts start running through your head, like:
"Why me? I never did anything wrong."
"Why doesn't anything help?"
"This is never going to get better."
"I've had this for 30 years and it's only gotten worse."
"Why doesn't anyone understand what I'm going through?"
"I wish i didn't have this illness."
"I want my old life back. This isn't fair."

Trust me these are some of my thoughts also, at times, especially on a really bad day. And your emotions are valid. That's what they're there for--to feel them. But I've learned to feel them, go through them, and get back up and keep pushing no matter how bad my pain gets.

It sucks that I even have to push through pain on a daily basis

Who wants to live in pain? Nobody in this world wants to live with pain. The people that get mechanical back pain can take a Tylenol, rest, and its gone the next day. Me, not so much. And I tend to get a little jealous of that person. That's when the negative thoughts all hit at once. But I wanted to share a personal story with you all in this article because I consider you my new friends, and I like to give my friends a little inspiration and motivation to keep pushing.

My nephew's story

In 2014, my nephew Bryce suffered a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He was 14 at the time, he played football and was great at it. But unfortunately all of that came to an end because of his injury. His dream of playing professional football was no longer in his future. Imagine being 14 and all your dreams were taken from you in an instant. I remember getting the call from my sister saying that he was paralyzed. I cried and got on the next flight to be by his side.

He was still a baby, trying to navigate his life. I asked god why him? Why did this happen to him? What is he going to do now without his legs? It was awful to know that he would never walk again or play football, but Bryce never gave up on himself and neither did we. He went on with life as a normal kid, graduated high school, went on to college to play professional wheelchair basketball, and he has traveled the world playing basketball. He won USA championships and is in his last year of college. He is 23 now and thriving despite his circumstances.

My inspiration

He has been my inspiration, because if he can smile through life and continue accomplishing his dreams, so can I. He has inspired so many younger people with his journey, he has volunteered at camps for kids with disabilities, and they all love him. His spirit and strength have touched so many of us and I hope me sharing his story will inspire you all too.

He turned a negative situation into a positive one! Below is a picture of my nephew at his championship game!

Bryce at the basketball championship game

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Julie Vallortigara Moderator & Contributor
<inline-mention username="Nadine Cruz" user-id="4610325"/> Hello, This is amazing and so inspiring! Thank you so much for sharing the story of your nephew 😀 we can see his beautiful smile and his happiness on that picture. I have worked with people who have mobility issues for many years, and I have been moved and inspired by so many of them, by their can do attitude, pushing the limit and having big dreams come true for them. Like your nephew, they are a great example for me. Take care, Julie.
Lisa Marie Basile Moderator & Contributor
It is so moving that you take such an inspiration from your family member. It’s really heartbreaking what happened to him, and it does sort of give you some perspective. But I’m so happy that he is thriving and being an amazing badass. You are absolutely right about mindset. I get annoyed at people who are chronically positive, but that’s not exactly the same as shifting your mindset away from constant negativity. Inspiring!
Nadine Cruz Member
Awwww <inline-mention username="James Hollens" user-id="2107776"/> Thank you so much your always so kind 🤗 hope your managing ok? N yes it’s very hard being positive trust I wasn’t always this positive it took me a long time to get here and stay here so many negative things with this disease that tears us apart but we have to continue rising as best as we can. My nephew is def a warrior I’m so very proud of him. Wishing you well also 💙 Nadine (Team Member)
James Hollens Moderator & Contributor
Hi <inline-mention username="Nadine Cruz" user-id="4610325"/> , I guarantee everybody living with AS has had everyone of those thoughts you listed multiple times! Sometimes it feels like an extra challenge on top of the ones we already face to find ways to flip negatives into positives but I feel like it is certainly something worth spending whatever energy we have left on! But wow what an incredible story your nephews journey has been! It is so inspiring to see somebody to come back from such a terrible thing that happened at a young age. But not only settle with his new situation, but to find new ways to thrive and succeed against all odds. He certainly deserves to enjoy every ounce of success that comes his way - w Clearly not letting medical issues get in the way of succeeding and being an inspiration to others is something that runs in your family! Wishing you all the best, James (Community Member)