24/07/2025
You Are the Director and Producer of How You Choose to Be Perceived
Living with a chronic condition or disability means facing a world ready to define you—but you hold creative agency over your own narrative. You are the director and producer of how you want to be seen, both by others and by yourself. This perspective acknowledges your challenges, honours your choices, and empowers every scene you shape.
Ways to Direct Your Own Story
- **Own Your Narrative:** Highlight your resilience and insights gained from lived experience. Your story offers depth and strength, not just a diagnosis.
- **Edit the Script:** If past labels, limiting beliefs, or others’ expectations are holding you back, choose what to rewrite. Every day is an opportunity to recast your story.
- **Choose Your Cast:** Seek out supportive people—friends, carers, community members—who affirm your abilities and respect your boundaries.
- **Set the Stage:** Whether it’s asking for access accommodations or curating your digital presence, design your environment to suit your needs and aspirations.
- **Direct the Tone:** How you frame setbacks, advocate for yourself, or acknowledge your achievements is a creative act. Decide the lens through which you see yourself.
- **Celebrate Your Milestones:** Recognize progress on your own terms. Honour the “small wins” as pivotal moments in your ongoing story.
What to Avoid
- Let go of passivity—don’t let outside perceptions or medical definitions be the only story told.
- Move beyond generalized advice. Focus on what authentic agency looks like for you—choices about rest, engagement, or advocacy.
- Subtract comparisons to others. Your journey is valid and unique.
Invitation to the Community
How are you directing your self-perception today?
Which roles, boundaries, or narratives are you intentionally shaping to reflect the real you?
Share a moment when you reframed your experience, advocated for what you needed, or claimed a new identity. Your director’s cut may inspire someone else.
