Finding Purpose After a Stroke

By Dana Rivera

All of us are born with purpose in life. Some know it from an early age, but for others it can be an ongoing struggle.Suffering a traumatic event such as a stroke can leave survivors chasing the question of “What will my purpose be if I can’t do the thingsI used to do?” We know purpose is associated with psychological wellbeing. Purpose is connected to resilience and social support. It is vital for coping.

When someone suffers a stroke or any type of traumatic eventand survives, often the person feels hopeless or indifferent about thefuture. They have two choices of mindset. The first is to adopt theattitude of, “I am going to fight as hard as I can to make a full recovery.”The second is to say, “I throw my hands up in the air and resign to fate.”No matter what mindset is chosen, the fact is that certainty about life hasbecome uncertain. What once made sense no longer applies