One way to help get through tough times is to imagine you're a hero/heroine in a story. It doesn't usually work during the toughest times, but it can be encouraging at certain moments.
For instance, sometimes it can be really hard for me to accept that I'm deaf --- that I have this really fundamental difference from most of the rest of the world and that nothing will probably ever change that. This is part of why the X-Men have become so important to me. The whole theme of the X-Men comics is that there are these people who are given a trait/ability that separates them from the world... and unlike other superheroes, the X-Men are feared, hated and misunderstood by the rest of the world. I may not be able to fly or teleport, but my hearing loss is a genetic change that has drastically changed my life -- and not always in bad ways (I'm a super fast reader because I rely so much on my eyes).
This week I've decided I'm Sleeping Beauty. Laying no claims to the beauty part, but I do seem to struggle with the need to sleep all. the. time. I also grew up surrounded by needles and spinning wheels so the getting pricked part seems kind of a given. Plus my prince hasn't shown up, so maybe he's waiting for that hundred years sleep?
As you can tell, the first example is a pretty serious deep issue for me... the second one is more of a fun 'look at life this way' Rose-Brierish exercise. But they're both theraputic and help me understand, reevaluate and accept my limitations, differences and struggles.
Have you ever identified with a fictional character in a way that has helped you get through a difficult period?
5 comments:
Thanks for posting this! I think it's very important. I too have had to deal with something the past 2 years- dysautonomia, heh, don't ask :P It's complicated - and while that's no where near as debilitating as I am sure being deaf is, it has shown me how IMPORTANT courage really really really is. I think that's one reason I LOVE Harry Potter so much- it was just so encouraging to me! God knows just what to send when you need it, and while some people may think this is silly, something like HP (pr x-men) can really give you just the boost you need.
Oh, would you mind if I used this post (linked back to this post) in my own blog?
I don't mind at all --- on the contrary I love being linked to! :)
I've gotten through some tough times by asking myself what would Anne Shirely or Elizabeth Bennet do! =)
I don't have a specific character or hero that I refer to, but I definitely envision myself as a fictional character that has to overcome great obstacles and whose readers are rooting for her happily ever after. I don't have any physical challenges (other than being very short and needing to stay away from gluten), but the last 5 years have been just an all around purgatory for me. I have grown from the suffering, however, and I appreciate it.
And I know of Paul Xavier through events at the Friary in CT, and through Facebook.
I do this all the time! Well, often enough. I did it a lot more when I was in high school and had less control over my life. I really related to the x-men too for some reason... maybe because I was the odd one out a lot? I was the nerdy kid at private school for a while, and then the rich kid at public school (which made me cool for like a day, until they realized I didn't drink or smoke or party... and then it made me uncool) so I guess I was like a mix between Peter Parker and Harry Osborn, lol. But yes, I've been inspired by many fictional characters at various points in my life. I'm actually writing a paper for class on it :)
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