There can seem to be a cavernous difference between needing and wanting support, either from people or synthetic compounds that interact with our neurotransmitters; a nagging dilemma. Can we have side effects from the well-meaning efforts of friends and family, who are trying to be supportive? Yes, just as we have to accept side effects from taking medicine. These side effects can be constant or cumulative.
Some days it's hard not to only see the side effects, a long list of cons that cause doubts about risk ratios. Are memory loss, fatigue, and volatile sleep patterns really worth it? Is this medication really working well enough to pay the physiological price tag? Getting caught in a cycle of doubt can get to be like a constant echo; a tinnitus of inner conflict.
Yet relationships with anyone or anything will never be completely in sync. There is a profound gift on the shelf waiting to be opened. This gift is wrapped in acceptance, and unwrapped in the journey of wellness. Wellness in how we relate to those around us, including our 'marriage to medicine.' Approaching wellness as a journey, with its full spectrum of road conditions, will ease those constricting reflexes.
Medicine is only one relationship to wellness. There are equally valuable components, things that can nourish and strengthen forward mobility. Creating something with our hands, for example, or choosing a meal that sustains more nutrients. Walking, writing, chatting with a friend. Any effort, no matter how seemingly small, can be part of growing our days in better soil. (see my poem Layaway )
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