DYSPRAXIA, & Dylexia often labelled : 'Learning 'disability'...
The word 'disability' can already impose many complexes and emotional conflicts of :
-inadequacy & inferiority (thinking something is wrong with you).
- feeling alien to everyone else - because they can get on automatically
- confused about ones identity, self purpose, self-ability
- a plunge of self confidence, low self esteem - thinking your worthless, negative thoughts
- the urge to defend ones self because of insecurities
- lack of self-reliance, lack of self trust,
- hopelessness, unmotivated,
- depression...
- frustration,
- frequent confusion!! etc.
These can be said as frequent & natural initial feelings that come with the:
-constant forgetting of things,
- feeling judged and ridiculed by other people
- feeling like you let others down, and let yourself down
- frustrated
- feeling embarassed
- and it often feels repetitive throughout life...
These can lead to:
- Feeling like only a few people understand you
- being able to be emotionally only around certain people as they may not understand your emotional sensitivities and insecurities & more importantly - YOUR FREQUENT FORGETTING! - (Some think you just don't care enough!)
- Iscolating yourself.
- losing motivation and feeling of productvity
- falling behind on academic work
- doubting your own judgement
- feeling overwhelmed with life,
We've been through it all. It sounds like pretty depressing stuff: but there is so much overlooked opportunity and talent that comes with Dyspraxia & Dyslexia.
We see so much advice but it is mainly through our own experiences that we grow, learn and become experts - even more so than those who have never had the opportunity as much.
TIP 1. Training yourself to train.
](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall")
-Imagine yourself as the boxer in the ring. Every real fight symbolises the 'tests' that we feel thrown upon us in life, whether its trying to meet a deadline, arriving for an appointment, being organised, preparing for events, being prepared for disaster etc.
-You must use your gifted creativity (as dyspraxic you have plenty of it! So use it!)
to come up with a plan (Yes thats right a PLAN, It might take you a while, but add colours, pictures, and you'll come up with a fantastic plan).
-The idea is that you must train yourself to deal with life's blows (time management, organisation, preparation)
Yes I know it is what we find challenging, but it is only by DOING and DOING and DOING and DOING that you Build the automaticity in your brain to plan!
It is the often the inability to automatically think ahead, plan and organise information together in the brain, (which can affect motor skills/movement) which pulls us back - because our creativity has a challenge of being channeled into action!
As many of you have experienced (many being experiential learners,learning from many mistakes & catastrophies!) You can get better if you practice, train yourself, direct yourself, Learn about yourself.
Come up with your own training program:
Measure our performance with line graphs, bar charts, priority triangles,
And if you meet the top priotities on your triangle move yourself up a notch on your aily line graph - measure your performance during the week.
Find pictures of super-duper organisation that is colourful & creative! Because when dyspraxics or dyslexics choose to get organised - They go all the way!! (because they HAVE to, to make their life work!)
Get imaginative!
get creative!! Don't beat yourself up about what happened on the bus today,
or forgetting this or that - beating yourself up makes it worse!
Believe that you can train your brain, you can train yourself - and make your experience worthwhile to help others.
Experiential learners are a strength to society, they allow others to see things clearly that many others do not. (And this is because they make the extra effort because THEY often get confused.
That is all I will write for now, probably babbled on a bit. Trust yourself, trust god or the universe, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel - you don't realise until you've been through it yourself.
I have organisational dyspraxia, my memory needs extra support, planning takes a while, and organising is a challenge, the emotional baggage that come with it isn't easy to deal with but It will teach you a lot, make you resilient & determined - and as long as someone is determined in life, that is all they need to be successful.
Good luck with your life-building, Make us dyspraxics proud! xxx
