Take A Break
So as many of you may have noticed, I have not written anything for quite a while. I have received some very nice comments on some of the articles I have written in the past and I appreciate it, but yet I just haven’t been able to keep going on them. I will be perfectly honest with you, I just haven’t wanted to write anything recently.
So, I had to stop to reflect on why that is the case. Frankly speaking, my health has not been great as of late. The last several months my symptoms have gotten worse, my pain has increased and thus, I have not been in a great place mentally because of that so writing has not been on my mind much.
I know most, if not all of you understand that! But, that being said, that isn’t the only reason. I’ve tried to think about new things to write about, new ideas to look into, new thoughts I had to offer and you know what, I can’t really come up with a lot. I know there are tons of things that can be written on this topic both informative and otherwise but right now, I’vegot nothing!
Some of my previous articles were about specific topics or points of interest. Information about symptoms, treatments, helpful hints and such. Others were letters to those in my life who have been my rocks and support. Others were letters I might offer to medical professionals or others that might benefit from my insight, even if hypothetical letters. And some of my articles have had some dark undertones which isn’t unusual when talking about fibromyalgia or chronic pain.
One thing that I tried to keep in all of my articles however was positivity. Looking for that silver lining in the grey clouds that shroud our new existence. The positive, proverbial, pat on the back that we can get through this thing and we can survive. Well, to be brutally honest, I just haven’t had it in me to even want to think about writing, let alone try to find a positive thing to talk about. Now I’m not looking for sympathy, not in the least, I’m just being honest. It was just time for a break from a lot of things in my life.
One thing we all know is that there truly isn’t much positive with chronic pain or fibromyalgia. And some days, more than others, it is very hard to find that bright spot in each day that isn’t filled with guilt, sadness, anger, pain, self-pity, etc. It can be hard to wake up and hit the day bright eyed and bushy tailed, we all know this, and yet we keep going. We get up each day and try to face the day as best as our mind and body will allow. We know in our minds what things we want to accomplish for the day and do what our bodies will allow.
Some days we do more than we should and pay for it the next day but that is because most of us perhaps have a bit of a stubborn gene? At least that is truly my problem! But we get on with our day and do what we need to do and what we can do. And yes, there will be those days that getting out of bed to go to the bathroom is the best that we can hope for, but you know what??? THAT’S OK! Sometimes we just need to take a break, stop and listen to what your mind and body need!
There is no right or wrong way to deal with a chronic pain condition, no manual with instructions. No list of various ways to respond to any given situation, like telemarketers who have prompts to retort any response you give them for whatever they are trying to sell. There is no way to judge how each day will go, or even how each hour will go for us on any given day. We may find we have a long “streak” of good days, or at least manageable days, where at the end of the day we can feel like we have accomplished something. I try to enjoy those as much as I can. Sometimes a simple walk, or spending time outside enjoying nature can go a long way physically, and mentally. Then we have the inevitable flare that has us on our hands and knees wishing there was no existence of this beast we are dealing with. But yet, we move on and keep going.
Most of us are now looking in the mirror and seeing someone who is no longer the person they were before fibro or chronic pain. We have to learn to live a new life, learn a new set of expectations, learn a new set of limits, essentially, learn a new existence. As my former therapist said, “you have to learn the concept of radical acceptance.” I will be the first to admit, it’s a concept I struggle with almost every day and certainly some days more than others. I have touched on this in other articles but essentially what it means is that you will have to come to a point of accepting what your life will be like moving forward.
You don’t have to like the conditions you are dealing with but, you have to learn how to accept that this is what it is and your limits and abilities will change. Learn to live what your life will be like from now on. There will be days that we can adjust and sort of tolerate what it is and there will be other days that we are truly ready to throw in the towel. Those are the days that we have to really dig deep and find whatever ounce of hidden strength we have and not let our circumstances win. Some days, as I said, we have to look really hard to find something positive in each day, something to be happy about, or something we are grateful for. But don’t stop looking for it.
Everyone comes to a time in their life when they need to take a break. Re-evaluate where things are at or where they are going. Taking a break is a good thing, it’s a time to reflect, take a deep breath, recharge or make a plan. Some may think that taking a break is a bad thing, or that we can’t handle things. But, giving yourself a physical and/or mental break is something everyone needs from time to time and don’t let anyone tell you anything different. As it is with most words of advice, it’s much easier said than done, but I urge you to do it, and don’t feel guilty about it. If you feel the guilt creeping in, let it go. If you need more help than normal, ask for it. If the most you can do is stay in bed and take care of yourself, DO IT! Our bodies and minds have a way of telling us when we need a break, what we need to do is learn to listen.
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