The Activity Cascade-what to do next - Sir5R Journeys and Detours

You’ve got a tentative grip on a diagnosis that really isn’t sitting well with you, and that may in fact have you so disoriented and overwhelmed that you can hardly muddle your way through a day. But now that you do know a little bit of something about what’s wrong…

What are you going to do next?

You wouldn’t be reading this part of this rambling blog/website if you or someone close to you hadn’t already received that devastating preliminary diagnosis that makes it feel like your entire world has come to a full stop. The previous chapter made an attempt to explain a lot of what it is, and tried to reinforce the simple fact that you are not alone. There are a lot of us that have been through this, have survived it, and may have some advice to offer.

The first piece of advice; it’s time to add some structure to your angst.

After the initial shock wears off and the wailing, gnashing of teeth, and rending of garments is over, you need to address all the important things in your life so you can move through this journey with confidence that something else, something almost trivial by comparison isn’t going to ambush you. Your medical team found what’s been ailing you, and may already have proposed a treatment plan. You can’t rely on medical professionals to manage everything for you from here on out. You need to take control of how you’re going to structure your world to get to the other side of this challenge in concert with your treatment.

What do you need to do first? And then what comes next?

The activity cascade, like a treatment plan for a cancer, can vary from person to person. It depends on how your life is already structured. What’s offered here is a list of activity blocks, things that you need to consider, and act on, not necessarily in the sequence presented.

Activity Cascade Stacker — Activity Cascade

This isn’t about developing a project plan no matter how much it feels like one; although a PERT chart may be helpful if you already know how to use one. The medical professionals have their structured approach to getting you through this with suggested timelines and a cascade of medical activities. This chapter is about structuring and understanding your personal activity cascade which you need to prepare for that could unexpectedly turn into an avalanche.