Keeping Our Glass “Half Full”

Attitude

Quick backstory on myself: I was raised to view attitude as being disrespectful. For some reason I had a negative stigma associated with the noun like having an attitude was being sassy. Thankfully one day, that changed.

It wasn’t until I became an athlete that I realized attitude could make or break success rates. Success on the court, success in communication, scores, grades, really in all things life. So, sitting in what seemed to be the 100th doctor appointment, finally receiving my POTS diagnosis, I then realized attitude was going to be my everything.

What if I told you that your attitude will shape your success in health? I know that is a big statement to make, so lets read that again, this time slower: your attitude will shape your success in health. I have met hundreds of POTS individuals over the years. Some who thought they had POTS but were unable to receive proper care/diagnosis, to those who were told at a young age to expect disability to those who were a part of the “make fun of runners” club, and now post POTS, have numerous 5ks under their belt and are contemplating a half marathon. Each individual had a different story. Each individual had a different history in health. Each individual had a different health status. POTS individuals are not meant to be compared. Yet, what I find to be quite clear amongst the population as a whole is those who find success in health are those that have the proper support and what I believe to be the most crucial component, their own personal glass half full kind of attitude.

Perspective

POTS has changed you. The first step is to accept this. I know it’s hard to because you didn’t ask for POTS to even come into your life. But it did. So here you are. Here we are. You are reading what I have now written. Written from personal and professional experience with POTS. I too, was once in your shoes. At one point I was helpless and at times hopeless. My saving grace from this trauma, was a new perspective and attitude that kept my glass “half full”.

Accept POTS. Accept it for all that it is. Just don’t accept it for your long term reality. Keep your glass half full by granting your mind and soul a new perspective allowing you to view the syndrome for what it is, gather the research that will be of aid to you and surround yourself with the tools and supportive environment needed to thrive. Here are some ideas to help you grasp what I mean by this.

Step Outside and Look In

What if I encouraged you to view your life as Jack (lets call you Jack today), who loves skiing ( you like skiing too), loves homemade donuts, classics, possesses the hidden talent of talking like Donald Duck and oh, also has POTS. See what I did there? You with me? You are still you (named Jack or not), you also just happen to have POTS.

This skill of viewing your life for what it is, and what it is not is vital. You are able to separate yourself, step outside of the box and look in. This skill allowed me to not be consumed by POTS each and every day, really allowing me to grasp how wellness works as a dynamic state of health.

Leading me to my next example:

Our Wellness is Dynamic

One of the first things we learned in college was that Wellness is made up of seven dynamic variables that coexist. In my mind, I won the lotto. It all started to click. I couldn’t help but recall my past experience with POTS when specific protocols, scientific variables etc were being reviewed. This information allowed me to gain more of an objective standpoint in relation to life and personal health/trauma.

Picture this:
You walk into a room, you smell homemade bread. That smell really does more to you then just smell good. That smell of homemade bread causes your body to physically salivate (physical) as your recall childhood memories in your Grandma’s kitchen(environmental), now feeling sad (emotional) because you miss your Grandma (spiritual) then you realize a sudden urgency to be with family (social) as you head to the grocery store and buy out (financial) the baking department to bake bread and dream of starting a new profession as a baker (occupational) -Whew! I’m sweating writing that large run on sentence as I bet you are reading it. But, you get the idea.

We are dynamic. What we experience is all connected. What we think and feel can literally trigger a physiological response in our bodies. Joy, fear, excitement, stress… you name it. Our bodies respond with rapid breathing or shallow breathing, sweat, we salivate, heart rate can rise, blood pressure stabilizes, we become hyper focus etc. AMAZING.

A letter to your POTS self

Time to focus in on you. Lets do some reflecting. So here goes.

Dear (you),

During acute bouts, how do you feel?

Best in health,
Coach Kait

I am not going to coach you into answering that question. So we will just leave it open ended. Take a moment and pause. Really answer with deep thought. Envision yourself in your emotional state during acute bouts. I’ll ask again, how do you feel?

If we gathered 2o POTS individuals in a room each person could have a completely different response to this question. Remember me stating earlier that, ” POTS individuals are not meant to be compared”. Even to catch them all in an acute bout, reading their bodies physiological response on monitors can make them seem similar, but the emotional, mental response is vastly different. Meaning, what works for some to manage symptoms may not work for others etc.

We have all read the literature, been to appointments, talked with fellow POTSIES or read powerful posts on social media. I ask you to disconnect from all of this previous experience. Don’t let it shape your answer. Picture a blank sheet. I’ll ask one more time, how do you feel?

POTS Strong

Maybe you can relate to what I have gathered. Majority of individuals come to a point (for some this can take days, weeks, months or years) where they have simply had enough. They start to feel scared, feeling their glass is “half empty”. They are tired of being tired, let down or consumed by symptoms. They are sick of being challenged with no reward.

What’s amazing about hitting rock bottom (I get the chills every time) is there really is no where to go but up. After a lot of time of reflection and feeling all the feelings the individual will come to a point where they start to fight. They fight for what they want their life to be. What they want their life to look like. They write their own story on paper, like a script with intentions to one day live. They start the process of living POTS Strong, by what I like to call “defining their why”.

Define your Why

After reviewing my treatment options for POTS back in 2005, a switch flipped. I was thrilled to hear that my doctors trusted my body enough to recommend that I exercise. I was chomping at the bit to live again, to move, plan and experience without hesitation. I remember responding with, “when can I start?” . I was going to leave those depressing days behind.

My attitude at that time viewed life as an environment needing to support my current goals to thrive. I knew I would find out what I was made of as I put my mind, body and soul to the test. Over time I was going to adapt, flourish and heal. To me there was no other alternative, way or even ending. I would find relief in symptoms, I would accomplish the goals I had made for myself. Without knowing it at the time, I began to define my why. That why became my motive to manage and minimize my POTS symptoms.

My list looked like this:

• I was going to play my senior year of basketball
• I was going to remain on Student Council and National Honor Society.
• I was going to dance the dances, take drivers training
• I was going to graduate on time.
• I was going to wake up and be dependent on no one other then myself to do basic functions such as bathe, eat, work and play.
• I was going maintain interest of collegiate recruiters, travel, start a family and work.

Choose your Tool

I will share with you my two favorite quotes as a wellness coach.

The first is, “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” –Napoleon Hill

The second,

“If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you”. -Unknown


It doesn’t matter what population I have trained or coached over the years. If they were 14 years old or 82, if they were in clinical, health club or in school settings. If they didn’t believe the knowledge they had received, if they didn’t hold motive or the necessary support there would be no follow through.

As POTS individuals, we have been given treatment information by our trusted medical staff. We may just need that extra support or tool to see it through. Having a positive, pro-active environment that without question, keeps individual’s glasses half full is needed. I am glad you found it.