I recently came across this quote by Sarah Boyd and it really stuck with me. It also made me realise how obsessed we can become with ‘normal’ and how quick we are to put a label on something that doesn’t quite fit in the box.
Now don’t get me wrong. I personally feel that diagnoses and labels can be helpful.
It’s certainly helped me understand and manage my anxiety as I learned to be more compassionate with myself when things got hard. By understanding myself better I also developed the tools that supported me during challenging moments and over time it built my sense of confidence and self-trust.
However, I also think that labels can be limiting and often create the idea that there’s something wrong with us.
One little boy I previously worked with was diagnosed with dyspraxia. When we first met he was really struggling with his confidence and self-worth. He felt that he was different from the other children and because of this he started to hold himself back and would shy away from trying new activities or speaking up in class. He also gave up too soon whenever he faced a challenge and would come up with excuses when things got hard.
I’ll never forget how his little face lit up during a session where we were exploring famous failures, and he discovered that Einstein also had dyspraxia just like he did! The shift in his confidence was huge!
Gone was the shy, timid little boy. In his place was now a boy who volunteered to go first. He pushed himself to speak up, shared his ideas and he even challenged himself to work on his handwriting - something that was a great challenge when we first started working together.
He saw his diagnoses not as a label that he can’t do something, but rather as a sign that he could. Despite the fact that things felt harder for him, it was a sign to him that he shouldn’t give up, that he needs to persist and continue until he gets it right.
So when the world is trying to get us to focus on ‘normal’ let’s shift focus, supporting our children and celebrating the EXCEPTIONAL gifts they bring to the world!
Now I’d love to hear from you.
How have labels helped you? Or have you found them limiting and restricting?
Hit reply in the comments and let me know!