How I Reclaimed My Life from Chronic Pain Life is a constant state of reclaiming. At least my life is. For every loss I faced, I must then reclaim a life I want. Whatever the struggle, I have to come back and reclaim the life I have chosen. What other choice is there? Giving up? That's no choice … [Read more...]
Topics Close to My Heart
These posts discuss various issues and events that are close to my heart. Perhaps it's me sharing something that happened, or just sharing my soul.
Dear Fibromyalgia
The book A Return to Love talks about the idea of writing a letter to your illness and letting go of all the negative thoughts you have towards it, the "why are you doing this to me" thoughts. When I read this I thought it was interesting and I thought I'd write a letter to Fibromyalgia. … [Read more...]
An Open Letter to Caregivers
Off and on for the last 8 years I've been the one needing care. I've struggled as a patient, but I never knew how much my caregivers struggled as well. I only saw my pain and my struggles. Recently, that has changed. I'm learning what it's like to be on the other side and just how … [Read more...]
Finding the Strength to Get Through Bad Days
It's not always easy to find strength in the bad days. You already feel overwhelmed and are struggling to just get through. This idea of staying strong is a bit over-rated sometimes, and sometimes the best thing we can do is allow ourselves to just rest. Let someone else be strong. The more … [Read more...]
8 Songs to calm you when everything seems out of control
8 Songs to Calm You When Life Feels Out of Control Stress and anxiety are not friends of chronic illness. Sadly, sometimes it seems like those two seek us out and harass us to no end. Not long ago, I had a situation arise that really stressed me out. I was feeling pushed to do something that was … [Read more...]
Who are we to judge another’s illness?
How many times have you seen a comment from someone on social media commenting on how someone else with an illness can't possibly have it as bad as they claim (or as the author of the status). I ran across the below "migraine status" meme on Instagram. "If you're typing a status update that … [Read more...]
The Importance of Asking For Help
Too often we don't ask for help because we assume that others will not be there for us, or that even if they want to be there, they won't be able to help. The problem is that we'll never know if we can depend on others if we never ask. This quote came straight from my Psych book: "Social support … [Read more...]
Understanding Invisible Illness: Walking in Our Shoes
Before I got sick with fibromyalgia I had no understanding of invisible illness. I would look at some of the people I'd see using handicapped spaces or the electric carts at the grocery store and think "they don't really need that". I once had a discussion with my (then) husband about how … [Read more...]
Sometimes Rest Is The Answer
Sometimes we need to be reminded that a flare doesn't mean a return to the worst. A bad day doesn't mean it's going to be a bad week, and a bad week doesn't mean it's going to be a bad month, and none of these mean we are going to keep feeling bad forever. The last 6 months have been really busy, … [Read more...]
Chronic illness does not mean you are a failure: You are a success story
Chronic Illness does not mean you are failure Originally published on Prohealth Inspiration Corner There are many ways to gauge success. My view of success has always been a little different than most. Perhaps it’s because of how I was raised, or perhaps it’s just something in how I see the … [Read more...]