Feeling triumphant again

I was talking with a psychologist the other day, and she asked me, "Doesn't it seem like there are
more special needs children, now, than ever before"? It is probably true. I am so amazed at how many families, just in my neighborhood, have children with special needs.

It does bring about a sense that we aren't so extremely different from everyone else. Other families right in our same neighborhood are dealing with the same issues that we are. It helps me feel that I have someone real I can talk to, or share an "I've been through that" moment with someone on the walk to my kids' school.

I feel so lucky to be able to go online and find quick answers to burning questions about my son, or other problems that come up with him. And isn't it great that we have blogs, and internet boards that we can help each other on? We would all be so isolated without the internet, and left to feel so terribly alone. I am grateful we have more resources today than ever before.

My self-help program is going well. I've been seeing a counselor, and have picked up great tips from other support groups that I go to. One of them is setting small goals for myself.

I used to end each day feeling so defeated, because I had an overwhelming list of things that I wanted to get done, and could never get through in one single day. There was just too much that I wanted to accomplish, and things weren't prioritized correctly.

Now, I've taken a step back, and I only give myself small daily goals. When I accomplish these goals, I end up feeling triumphant. It is such a better feeling, rather than feeling I have failed. Feeling that I got done everything that I wanted to get done is so satisfying.

I like setting small goals and achieving them, because it helps me get through the tough and challenging times. When my mind is set on painting a room in my house, or organizing clutter, I am not spending endless amounts of time worrying about Andy.  Changing the way you see things can really have a positive effect on your mood. It has really been helping me, and it helps the way I parent my kids.