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...]
Controlling IBS with Probiotics and Stress Management
I've struggled with IBS for over 20 years. IBS was the first condition that became a chronic issue for me. And, it's the one condition I've continued to struggle with since it first hit me in my early 20's. Although, at the time I didn't realize what I was dealing with. After over 20 years with IBS, … [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...]
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...]
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...]
4 Ways I Reduce Stress and Anxiety
Stress and anxiety are two things that I try to avoid, but I can't always. Sometimes I just get anxious for no reason, or I start thinking about all that I need to do and I stress myself out. I try to stay focused on the present moment but it doesn't always work. About 20 years ago I had one of … [Read more...]
Can Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Help Fibromyalgia?
Meditation is a topic that I've been interested in for a while, yet on the borderline. I'm interested and I've stuck my toe in the water a time or two using meditation apps but I've never really taken the plunge or made meditation a regular part of my life. I'm reading The Whole Health Life by … [Read more...]
7 Things to stop doing if you want to decrease stress
I talk a lot about stress here, because it really is a key contributor to how we feel. When we feel more stress, we hurt more, we are more fatigued, we generally feel worse. But, part of the problem with those of us with Fibromyalgia and other other chronic illnesses is that our stress meter is … [Read more...]
