Re: Finding that Balance EVE

[Guest guest]

What has worked for me in trying to bring a flareup into control and get my life back in balance... is to stay aware of my body AND my spirit and what I'm doing to it by the way I'm living. I have to tell myself "it's ok that I can't keep up with the housework, can't work full time right now, can't maintain a major social life, can't throw so much energy into the doll business, can't exercise, can't (fill in the blank). I'm worth taking care of and I can't do that if I put all my energy into all that other stuff." And I take a look at what expectations I've placed on myself, and what expectations the world has put on me, and decide if I really have to accept those expectations or if I can let some of those go. THEN I can start looking at HOW I'm doing all of those "gotta-do's" and see if there's an easier way to do them -- or if I even really DO need to do them. A lot of the time, if I can let go of "the way it's always been done" (a big issue in my family) I can work out ways to get those "gotta-do's" taken care of without killing myself. And I remind myself that, no matter what I'm doing, I need to stop every hour or so and do something else for 10 minutes. If I've been working nonstop at my computer (at home or at work) for an hour, then I need to take a break and walk around the house or office for 10 minutes. If I'm shopping or doing something else outside the home that keeps me on my feet, then after an hour I have got to stop and sit down, have a cup of coffee or a soda or whatever, and catch my breath. I'm finding that if I really listen to what my body's telling me -- about everything from what to eat to when to move to when to stay still -- that I can take care of myself and move through the flareup and out the other side.

Sorry if I sound preachy -- I needed to give myself a peptalk today, I guess!

Eve

That is a very good pep talk for all of us. We need to be

reminded to take care of ourselves. For 10 of the 12 years

I have had fibro I always pushed to take care of everyone

else. the past two years I have been taking better care of

me and saying NO when I needed to and I am much better

off pain and fatigue wise. it does work !

Warm hugs, Joyce