*This article was originally posted on Prohealth When you live with chronic illness your self-esteem takes a beating. You are no longer able to do many of the things you used to do, you are forced to rely on others for help with often simple things, you may no longer be able to work, and you … [Read more...]
How can you be positive when you live with chronic pain?
This post was originally published on Prohealth.com Recently I saw a meme on Facebook asking the question: "How can you be positive when you live with chronic pain?" There was a time when I would have totally agreed with that sentiment, but no more. These days I know that whether I feel positive … [Read more...]
10 Ways to be Happier Despite Chronic Illness
10 Ways to be Happy Despite Chronic Illness Stress creates anxiety, anxiety increases pain, pain increases stress. Stress, anxiety, and pain decrease happiness. It’s the circle we live in when we live with chronic illness, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s so easy for me to get caught in that … [Read more...]
When Chronic Pain Causes Shame, Practice Self-Compassion
I recently ran across the blog So Angie Writes and I was deeply touched by her writings. When she offered to write a guest post I jumped at the chance. Angie shares some important words of wisdom on practicing self-compassion when chronic pain causes shame. --- My illnesses … [Read more...]
10 beliefs to help you overcome negativity
Negativity often overwhelms me. I see it everywhere, I hear it everywhere. I try to avoid it as much as possible. I don't watch or listen to talking heads or news programs, I avoid people that are stuck in the negative rut. But, sometimes it can't be avoided. Sometimes, the place I hear the most … [Read more...]
4 things we must set aside so that we can move forward
When I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and living with constant uncontrollable pain, I got stuck. It felt impossible to move forward with my life. I put everything on hold because all I could do was focus on the pain. Looking back I realize that there were things keeping me stuck, but it wasn't the … [Read more...]
The Stigma of Mental Illness – #StoptheStigma
The Stigma of Mental Illness Last fall (2014) I took Experimental Psychology and one of the projects we worked on was related to mental illness stigma. I've wanted to share a part of the paper I wrote for that and thought that since May is Mental Illness Awareness Month now would be ideal. Before … [Read more...]
Surviving Fibromyalgia: How I #defypain
Today is Fibromyalgia Awareness Day (May 12, in case you are coming to this post later), and I thought it was an appropriate day to share a post on how I #defypain and how I'm Surviving Fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread chronic pain, and while I may look healthy, and … [Read more...]
Within My Control: 5 Lessons in Pain Management
Within My Control:5 Lessons in Pain Management Guest Post by Mandy Mercuri from Take Hold of Pain Six years ago I attended a 3 week intensive hospital-based pain management clinic. It changed my life! During this course, I learned that pain is just a sensation within my body. Oftentimes the … [Read more...]
5 Tips for Staying Positive Despite Chronic Illness
5 Tips for Staying Positive Despite Chronic Illness When you live with chronic illness, life can be rough and it can be very difficult to remain positive. The little things often drag us down, we focus inward, and we forget to notice the small joys in life, while the small (and large) negatives … [Read more...]
