Gaining Perspective Through Vision Therapy
Part 12 of a series. Click here to start at the beginning or here to go to the previous post.
Last week I visited the Vision Therapy doctor to be evaluated. I’m a little over half-way through vision therapy to get my eyes to work together. My brain was challenged by the new exercises given to me by the therapist and the doctor said I was making good progress.
New Revelations
Vision therapy is a slow process. I diligently do my weekly exercises but it’s not like anything I’ve ever done before. The goal is to relax and let my brain do the work.
Relax?
Progress will come more quickly if I don’t stress out about it or try too hard.
What?
Progress is being made even though it’s slow.
Tell me about it!
This last week, however, I was BLOWN AWAY by a new revelation.
Drawing Correlations . . .
As I sat in my chair with my eyes closed because of the brain strain I had just experienced, the therapist told me about an adult patient she has. Without naming names, she told me that the other patient was having great success. ‘She cut 15 minutes off her marathon time and is thrilled because she qualified for the Boston Marathon’. Even though my brain was in a fog, this sounded vaguely familiar.
Does one have to do with the other? How could vision therapy help a person’s feet run faster?
The process of vision therapy has helped parts of my brain wake up. These parts have never been used because it was receiving conflicting information from each of my eyes. The two images never quite matched one another and caused my brain to shut one image down. The exercises I’ve done over the past 25 weeks have taught my brain that the images do indeed match. It just takes some work to put them together. I’m building new super highways in my brain causing parts of my body to wake up too and move like it’s never moved before.
Slow progress? Maybe. But my body thinks this is great and she galloped her way to the finish line just a few months ago shaving 15 minutes off my best marathon time. All this since starting vision therapy. One does have to do with the other!
. . . between seemingly unrelated events
What things in your life are related but aren't readily apparent? Here are some of my thoughts on the matter.
- Our diet really does affect our mood.
- Our ability to have faith even though we don’t have the facts improves our quality of life.
- Traveling gives us perspective and broadens our ability to understand others.
- Forgiveness is the fastest way to healing even though it can seem impossibly difficult.
- You have to spend money to make money (OK, I didn’t make that up but it really is true!)
- Saying ‘no’ to someone is often the best way to build a healthy relationship.
- Change is best handled by running towards it.
- You must believe it before you can see it.
Take a Closer Look
Look for connections between different things in your life that may be related but until now you haven’t noticed. It's said that making your bed each morning helps you get more done each day, lowers your stress, and improves your mood. Who knew?
Identify something you think may be related and give it a try. Look for things that you know are a problem and try a new approach.
Are your kids grouchy at 4:00 pm because they’re hungry? (or they’re grouchy because you’re hungry?) Feed someone enough to tide them over but not ruin their supper.
Are you constantly rushed to get to work on time? Get up earlier and make yourself get there 5 minutes early. See how that feels for yourself and your co-workers.
Do you feel taken advantage of because your friends are always asking for help? Try saying ‘no’ without justifying your decision. If they don’t talk to you anymore, they weren’t your friends in the first place.
There are many things that are not obviously related but have a big impact on one another. Like vision therapy helping me run faster, you too have areas of your life that, if improved, may provide benefits in other areas.
A little work in one area may provide big benefits in another.
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