I've had many positive changes in my life since being diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I've gone from so fatigued and in pain that I could barely do anything but lay on the couch and watch TV to finishing a degree, establishing a new career in freelance writing, to starting (and selling) a … [Read more...]
5 things I’ve learned about handling stressful times
I've learned a lot about myself in the last few years. One of the biggest things I'm still learning is how I handle stress, both physically and mentally. I've realized that often I don't realize I'm stressed out until my body starts shutting down. Mentally my creativity will seem to come to a … [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...]
How living in an RV with a chronic illness is simplifying my life
The last couple of years have been all about simplifying life. So, why would I seemingly make things difficult by choosing to live in an RV with chronic illness? How does life in an RV, when you are chronically ill, equate to a more simple life? How does any life in an RV make things more … [Read more...]
How Virtual Reality Can Help Reduce Chronic Pain
Virtual Reality Treatment for Chronic Pain Virtual reality is everywhere it seems, and new virtual reality products are popping up to help with some psychological and physical health conditions. Recently, virtual reality made an appearance on America’s Got Talent. I’m not sure it was appropriate … [Read more...]
What it means to Let Go
I often struggle with letting go. Letting go of things, letting go of feelings, letting go of attachments. This past year I've let go of a lot of physical things, as I've worked to minimize my possessions. But, in other areas I've not been so good at letting go. The last few weeks I've felt stuck … [Read more...]
Is Your Stuff Making You Feel Worse?
Are You Using Stuff to Fill A Void? Every once in a while I watch one of the Hoarding shows and on a couple of different episodes they've mentioned that the person has fibromyalgia. It got me thinking about how we try to fill the void that fibromyalgia puts in our lives. Fibromyalgia takes so … [Read more...]
Handling the Challenges of the Holidays with Chronic Illness: The Ultimate Guide
The Ultimate Guide to Handling the Holidays with Chronic Illness Even for the most holiday-loving person the holidays bring stresses and challenges that just aren’t there the rest of the year. For those of us with chronic illnesses like Fibromyalgia, Lyme, and CFS/ME the challenges and … [Read more...]
Does Anger Increase Pain?
Does anger increase pain? It always amazes me that they do studies to prove what (to me) seems obvious. Those of us with the chronic pain of fibromyalgia already know that the stress of negative emotions like anger increases pain. Anger increases pain. Stress increases pain. Anger increases … [Read more...]
6 steps for coping with stress and improving your Fibromyalgia symptoms
Coping with Stress to Reduce Fibromyalgia Symptoms Learning to cope with Fibromyalgia is stressful. Your body becomes unpredictable and you rarely know what to expect from one day to the next. This creates stress and can often make us feel even worse. Coping with stress can be a key to improving … [Read more...]
