Attitude: How important it is to stay positive..and how hard that can be

"Your attitude determines your altitude."

How many times have we heard this, yet when your attitude is in the dumps, it's almost impossible to bring it up to cruising altitude.

Let's continue with the airplane analogy.  In order to take off, an aircraft has to first overcome inertia to move at all before bringing itself up to enough speed for take off. The force required to overcome inertia is calculated based on the mass of the object and the frictional resistance against that object. Sometimes the weight of what's happening to you can be a lot, not to mention the internal resistance to change, which I think is sometimes something you don't even notice, and if you can't acknowledge it, how can you ever change it?

All this said differently is the very definition of inertia itself.  The word inertia itself is derived from the latin iners, meaning idle or sluggish.
Simply put, and for the intent of my discussion, inertia is the property of matter by which it retains its state of rest (or its velocity) so long as it is not acted upon by an external force.

So I guess what I'm trying to say here is that an important part of maintaining your positive attitude, or trying to change your attitude for the better, is to first acknowledge that your mind wants to stay the current course that it is on and second, know that it is going to take some effort (or force) to change.  

I can say with certainty that I have been both up and down the emotional roller coaster (some times from bottom to top in one day...hell, one hour) and it's exhausting. It really is. I've tried really hard to maintain a positive attitude throughout this journey, and here are some of my tried-and-true tips that can help set you up for success: 

1. Get enough rest. This can be really hard to do when you're recovering, and especially hard if you still have to work, balance family life and keeping your home together. I was fortunate to have lots of help from my husband, mom and hired help (because of the accident, not that I have hired help all the time) to help me be able to rest as much as possible. Being tired, for me, is the surest way to lose all mental resilience. 
2. Get enough to eat, and often. Another toughie when you're dealing with an oral issue, and being wired shut can make this impossible. However, it is critically important to both your mental and physical healing that you stay nourished as much as possible. 
3. Let it out once in a while!  Your loved ones will be there for you when you break down, and they will still love you just as much as ever. And if that isn't enough, seek counselling.  This is something that I considered carefully all along my journey so far, and I have managed to go without it. Does that mean it wouldn't have benefitted me? No. Does that mean I won't continue to carefully consider reaching out for help? Absolutely not. When my bad days outnumber the good, or if I end up having to lose any major teeth (like the top fronts) or a large number of them, I very well may reach out. And there is absolutely no shame in doing it. 
3. Find distractions. Read a book, binge-watch a show, take up knitting....something, and hopefully a combination of things that you can use when you just need a distraction.  All of these things have helped me. 
4. Don't isolate yourself. Go out in public. Talk to people, visit, be social. Act as if.  Act as if life is normal, this is something you can handle, even if you don't feel like it sometimes. This can be a strategy...but not the only one. Sometimes it can help...but it won't always. 
5. Don't look back, try not to relive the moment, don't try to find a reason for it all. At first I would ask myself, 'Am I really not a good person?' 'Why did this happen to me?' 'Is this karma? Have I done something to earn this, or am I putting a deposit into the karma bank now that I can withdraw later?'  The answer is that life just isn't fair sometimes.  Really bad things can happen to really good people, through no fault of their own. Trying to find a reason for it will drive you crazy because I can tell you - there's no reason for it at all. 

These are just some ways I've found that I can help bring my attitude up when it's starting to sink. And I really believe that your attitude can help with your healing. So stay strong, and if you don't feel strong, lean on someone. Do something to get your strength back. Nourish your body, and then your mind. Your body is the foundation, your mind is place where you dwell.