I started thinking about this topic recently, about how there are certain things about living with chronic pain that those around us will never understand. That a healthy person just can't (sometimes won't) understand. As I thought about what came to my own mind, I asked the question … [Read more...]
Coping with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Illness
Inspiration and thoughts on how to improve coping skills when dealing with Fibromyalgia, chronic pain, fatigue, and invisible illness.
Fibro Warrior – Leida
This week I'm interviewing one of my readers, Leidamarie Tirado-Lee (Leida), from Chicago, IL. She was diagnosed in May of 2013, when she was 26 years old. She is inspiring me by continuing to work to complete her doctorate degree despite her illness. Tell us a little about yourself: I recently … [Read more...]
Sunday Inspiration: Stop Ruminating
Rumination is a state that many of us find ourselves in when we are sick. What is rumination? Ruminating a psychological state of focusing on our distress, on the negatives of our situation. Recently one of my favorite authors and bloggers, Toni Bernhard posted a great article about this and about … [Read more...]
How to Be Your Own Health Advocate
As patients we often hear that we need to be our own health advocate, but what does that even mean? And how do you do it? What does it mean to be a health advocate? The very basic meaning of advocate is "a person who speaks or writes in support or defense of a person, cause, etc" or "a person … [Read more...]
What is failure?
My inspiration this week came from my friend Jessica at No One Gets Flowers For Chronic Pain and her post on Famous Failures. She shares that she does not agree with the term "failure". We are taught this word at such a young age even before we are given exams and quizzes that are either: pass … [Read more...]
Requesting Disability Accommodations
I made the huge leap and went to the Disability Services office at my University. I had no idea how they might be able to help me, or if I even really needed help, but I decided that it was better to ask, then to wonder. Before, I went I downloaded their forms and did a little research on common … [Read more...]
Learn to Control Your Pain and Flares
At this point anyone with a chronic illness knows that stress increases their flares (or likelihood of a flare). But, are you creating your own flares, and the stress that creates them? You could be controlling both the stress and the flares. I know it's hard to imagine that we actually have any … [Read more...]
The Delicate Balance of Being Enough
This guest post on Turning Straw Into Gold, along with the post from Toni Bernhard, that she referred to, really got me thinking about the balance beam that we walk with chronic illness. We play a constant game that I'm going to call - The Delicate Balance of Being Enough. When you live with a … [Read more...]
Ask For What You Need
When I was 17 I'd just moved back to AL and I needed a job. I'd graduated the year before and spent the last six months in Michigan with family. After several months of looking I walked into Shoe Carnival. If you've never been in a Shoe Carnival (especially back in the early-90's) let me describe. … [Read more...]
Face the Past, But Focus on Today
I've had this post from Rachel on my "inspiration" list for a while now. "Say no to a fresh start". "No one is safe from the past, so don't run away from it. Face it, but don't walk into it and drown." This post really hit me when I originally read it and it hit me again today. My whole life … [Read more...]
