The other day, I decided to indulge myself in an X-Men movie marathon. I always enjoyed the story line of the movies, but never was into comic books or a real fanatic of Marvel and the characters. As I watched the movies, post-dystonia, I realized why I enjoyed them so much - I identify with the characters. The "mutants" are seen as outsiders, people who cannot control their "powers". I felt a connection to each character as they struggled to control themselves and fit into society. This is due to the fact that I also have a condition which I cannot control all the time. I often feel isolated and realize that the people around me will never fully understand what I go through daily. These "mutants" go through the same ordeal; but, they end up finding others that have conditions similar to theirs and they join forces; or understand that others are dealing with similar issues. Even so, each character deals with their own secret and personal internal demons. In one of the movies, a sudden realization came to when the character Professor Xavier told his student: Your power is harnessed by a mere muscle. All you need to do now, is learn to control your muscle in order to achieve a balance. Practicing and learning your body's limit is important. He also told another student: you need to find that point between rage and serenity - that is where you can harness ultimate control. Even though this movie is a work of fiction, I truly identify with these stories. Every day I battle with my brain, tongue, neck, shoulders, and hands. Through practicing relaxation techniques and using my muscles in different ways I have learned to speak with less pain and tension. In addition, daily moderate stretching has improved my mobility and has lessened my fatigue in these areas. Professor Xavier is correct - these are muscles that can be controlled, it may take a lot of practice, time and effort, but I truly believe over time we can learn to re focus our energy into learning new ways to adapt and use these muscles more effectively, which at the moment are not working correctly.
If you enjoy these types of movies, check them out, maybe you can identify with the message and the characters as well. I know its far fetched, but so were my odds of getting dystonia : )
If you enjoy these types of movies, check them out, maybe you can identify with the message and the characters as well. I know its far fetched, but so were my odds of getting dystonia : )