We try to hide from the world when we feel inadequate, abnormal and different. It’s a natural defense but can be destructive. Hiding ourselves away from the world can be natural in order to defend ourselves from others and their inquisitive, lack of understanding minds.
I was talking to my neighbor one day and my hand began to shake quite a bit and she asked, “What’s the matter with you? Am I making you that nervous?”
She found out I had Parkinson’s that day and she doesn’t know quite how to deal with ‘it’.
Illnesses are funny things. We want to hide because of how they can make us feel. Others want to hide from us because of how our abnormalities can make them feel. It can be uncomfortable for both parties. People don’t know how to approach someone with a handicap or an illness – they don’t know what to say and they don’t know how to respond.
May I suggest, next time you find yourself in a situation like that described above, be the first to break the ice. Be the first to take off the mask you may be hiding behind – that of fear and rejection or feeling abnormal. Others will be more comfortable when they see you are.
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