When you live with chronic illness it seems that everywhere you turn you are told to pace yourself and your activities. But, rarely do they explain what it means or how to do it. Pacing is a concept that gets thrown around a lot in support groups and blogs related to chronic illness. You may … [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.
Chronic illness and letting go of guilt
Chronic illness and guilt go hand in hand, it seems. There are so many types of guilt that we deal with every day that dealing with guilt becomes another symptom of chronic illness. I often feel guilt related to living with chronic illness. Guilt at not being able to do the things others … [Read more...]
Are these seven habits increasing your pain and fatigue?
Chronic illness is fatiguing enough. Yet, sometimes we do things (often unknowingly) that zap our energy, create stress, and leave us even more fatigued. Below are seven habits that are increasing your stress, pain, and fatigue, and generally making you feel worse. 1 . … [Read more...]
Do You Have Compassion For Yourself?
We expect others to give compassion. We expect them to have it towards others as well as themselves. We give compassion to others without thinking, but do you have compassion for yourself? I've written and thought a lot lately about compassion. How doctors lack it, how people need to be more … [Read more...]
Communicating Your Needs When You Have Chronic Illness
A friend in my local fibro support group asked a fairly common question about how you deal with family who just don't get that your energy level varies, they don't get that you really DO hurt and that you really DON'T have any energy. How do you communicate your needs when you have chronic illness … [Read more...]
Things to Say to Someone with Chronic Illness
If you love someone with chronic illness, you want to show them you care. There are plenty of lists of things that you shouldn't say, things that aren't helpful to them or to your relationship. But, more important are the things that you should say to someone with chronic illness. These are the … [Read more...]
Have you let Pain take your Identity?
How much of your identity revolves around your illness? Around your pain? How do you describe yourself? If I asked you to describe yourself to me right now, what would you say? Would you include your pain and illness in that description? When you live with chronic pain, sometimes that pain is … [Read more...]
6 things that I had to give up in order to move forward
If we want to move forward, there are certain things we have to give up, because the more we hold onto things, the longer we stay stuck right where we are. It's been just over a decade since I "got sick" and started feeling my life and my plans slipping through my fingers. I had to give up going … [Read more...]
When You Feel Weak and Broken
There were times even before I was chronically ill when I felt weak and broken, when anxiety overtook me and controlled me. I felt weak that I couldn't control the anxiety. When chronic illness became part of my life there was a period of about two years where I felt completely broken and worthless. … [Read more...]
Travel Insurance and Chronic Illness
Travel Insurance and Chronic Illness Back in 2014 I had to cancel a major trip due to a health issue. We'd bought travel insurance but I learned the hard way that travel insurance and chronic illness don't work well together. While standard travel insurance won't help you if you need to cancel a … [Read more...]
