When you live with chronic pain and fatigue, there are a lot of things that can make you feel worse. Over-doing it, crappy weather, stress. But, sometimes thoughts and mental actions can make you feel physically worse as well. 6 Mental actions that can leave you feeling worse 1 . Feeling Sorry … [Read more...]
8 Tips for Dealing with Stress
I know the feeling of stress all too well. We all know that stress greatly impacts our pain and fatigue levels, but we also know that there are so many sources of stress in life that there's no way to completely avoid it. It also builds up over time unless we figure out how to release it. Dealing … [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...]
What To Do When I’m Feeling Overwhelmed and Stuck
I originally wrote this post in the early Summer of 2017. I was dealing with a business that I wasn't happy with, a marriage that I wasn't happy with, a life that I wasn't happy with. I was overwhelmed and I felt stuck. I felt like I was drowning and struggling just to keep up with the basics of … [Read more...]
10 Ways to Decrease Stress
Stress increases our pain. How many times have you heard that? How many times have I written that? I have no idea, but I do know that the words are true. Someone sent me a really unkind reply to a request I'd sent them on Facebook that ended with a "maybe I missed your point." They did. My … [Read more...]
10 Ways to reduce stress related to chronic illness
When we have a lot going on in life, things get stressful. Even if the busyness is enjoyable it can still lead to stress. And, when you live with chronic illness the last thing you need is additional stress. So, it's important that we find ways to reduce stress as much as possible. 11 Ways to … [Read more...]
Fibromyalgia and the Importance of Forgiveness
Fibromyalgia and Forgiveness You may not think that forgiveness (or holding a grudge) would play a role in fibromyalgia, but as with all negative emotions it can play a huge role in the symptoms you experience. Holding a grudge is the opposite of forgiveness. Along with that grudge comes the … [Read more...]
Distraction as Pain Reliever: 10 ways to distract yourself from pain
Distraction as Pain Relief: 10 Ways to Distract Yourself From Pain Whenever my TMJ doctor does trigger point injections on me, one of his nurses will gently tap on my shoulder or head on the opposite side from where the injection is going. It took me a couple of visits before I realized this was a … [Read more...]
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...]
