“What almost dying taught me about living”
“What almost dying taught me about living”
Source: Suleika Jaouad | TEDEd (Watch: 17 min)
Contributor: Selena Garcia
“You can be held hostage by the worst thing that’s ever happened to you and allow it to hijack your remaining days, or you can find a way forward.” - Suleika Jaouad
You don't need a reminder that life is hard, but sometimes we all need a reminder that wherever we are is ok and that finding "ways to live in the in-between" is key to living a healthy and meaningful life.
When you survive cancer, you understand the impacts it will have on you physically. But as author Suleika Jaouad shares, the most challenging part of her cancer experience began once the cancer was gone—"the invisible, psychological imprints of unprocessed grief and PTSD."
"In this fierce, funny, wisdom-packed talk, Suleika challenges us to think beyond the divide between 'sick' and 'well,' asking: How do you begin again and find meaning after life is interrupted?"
You'll want to watch this one through to the end. It applies to whatever loss or life-altering hurdle may come your way.
“Every single one of us will have our life interrupted—whether it’s by the ripcord of a diagnosis or some other kind of heartbreak or trauma that brings us to the floor. We need to find ways to live in the in-between place. Managing whatever body and mind that we currently have.” - Suleika Jaouad
(5:56) "I had spent the past 1,500 days working tirelessly to achieve one goal—to survive. And now that I'd done so, I realized I had absolutely no idea how to live."
(10:59) "You can be held hostage by the worst thing that's ever happened to you and allow it to hijack your remaining days, or you can find a way forward. I knew I needed to make some kind of change. I wanted to be in motion again. To figure out how to un-stuck myself and to get back out into the world. And so, I decided to go on a real journey. Not the bullshit cancer one, or the mythical hero's journey that everyone thought that I should be on.”
Suleika goes on a road-trip and shares about the people she met and the things they taught her. You'll want to tune in for that!
(15:18) "I wish I could say that since coming home from my road trip, I feel fully healed. I don't. But once I stopped expecting myself to return to the person I'd been pre-diagnosis, once I learned to accept my body and its limitations, I actually did start to feel better. And in the end, I think that's the trick--to stop seeing our health as binary, between sick and healthy, well and unwell, whole and broken. To stop thinking that there's some beautiful perfect state of wellness to strive for. And to quit living in a state of constant dissatisfaction until we reach it."
WATCH THE FULL TALK, HERE. (17 min)
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