Are you a disabled couch potato? Are you being led around by complacency and mediocrity? What are you doing to yourself? For a person with disabilities, is this any way to live?

No, it isn’t. As people with disabilities, we should be living our lives to the fullest, no matter what our disabilities are. I should know: I am disabled. I live in pain 24/7. Some days are better than others, but the pain is always there. Does this stop me from bettering myself?

No, it doesn’t. And neither should it stop you. Here are some things I have tried, that you might attempt to get out of your couch potato funk.

•    Get active. Recently, I was told by my physical therapist that in order for me to become relatively pain-free, I should be doing physical activities and exercises that maintain the health and wellbeing of my physical body. This helps my muscles stay stretched and flexible. So, to comply I began working in my garden and my yard. It has done me a world of good.

•    Get educated. I also went back to school and got my bachelor’s degree. This helped increase my self-esteem and my professional skill level. What are you passionate about? What makes you tick? Have you developed it? Life is too short to miss out on an adventure, and it’s all an adventure, my friends.

•    Attend meetings that help you get out of yourself and start focusing on relationships outside your comfort zone. Go with a close friend. Meetup groups are especially fun. Just go to meetup.com and look around for groups that relate to the things you are passionate about.

•    Find a job doing things you love to do. If you can’t get paid well for it, at least get paid something! And do it with everything you’ve got! It will make life more enjoyable and interesting.

•    Find a therapist and talk to them about some of your couch potato issues. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. We sometimes become so overwhelmed by life’s circumstances that we start having our own little pity party. In the beginning, our friends might tag along for a little bit, but after too long it will become a very lonely party with only one person attending – you.

Well, what are you waiting for? Your whole life is ahead of you. Don’t waste one more minute as a couch potato! Get off that couch and live!

Photo courtesy Ataxerxes.