So, I spilled my negative guts, vented, purged, and said my peace in last weeks (I Hate Fibromyalgia post) and if I remember correctly we left off with the question:
How do you see the beauty despite the pain?
The answer(s) are simple:
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Pause for Reflection
When life feels insurmountable and you feel like giving up. Stop. Sit. Breathe. . You clear your mind and listen. You think about something good. You reset and try to clear out the negative thoughts.
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Vent
Letting it out is ok. Sometimes the only way to let go and move forward with seeing the beauty (and the positive) is to purge and find a ear willing to listen to all the reasons the chronic life sucks. Allow yourself a space to purge and don’t feel guilty about it.
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Rest
This is hard to do. Life is full of so many next items it can be difficult to just stop, drop and rest for one, two or three days. This doesn’t even speak to the disrupted sleep that is a direct symptom of most chronic illnesses. Let your body do what it needs to do and I promise your mind will catch up.
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Prioritize & Chunk
Oftentimes, chronic illness causes anxiety. Anxiety makes it feel like the world is closing in and everything is essential. Everything is not essential. The best way to see the beauty in life (and on your to do list) is to write down what is most essential and then break essentials down to their most basic components. Something as simple as laundry might need to wait until tomorrow depending on what comes up and even this task might take all day. Let it take all week and all day
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Be Flexible
Everything will work out. Our fears usually never materialize and our outlook is 90% how we see the world or the circumstance. Yes, fibro or any invisible chronic illness makes everything unduly complicated, complex, and arduous. Being flexible enough to go with the flow, release control, and know that no matter what everything will be ok (if we are present or not) goes a long way.
Trust me performing even these five exercises is easier said than done. However, everytime I find myself spinning out of control, regressing into a dark place of depression, and feeling ready to give up on everything single thing. I realize that I’ve forgotten atleast three of these golden rules.
Everyday we exist is a day that we have conquered the beast. This alone means that we are thriving. We are successful. And we have done tons more than we ever give ourselves credit for. Stopping to see the individual trees amidst the forest of chronic life is the hardest task. Reaching for the light at the end of the tunnel forgetting that we are holding the lamp and the light bulb all along.
Stopping to see the individual trees amidst the forest of chronic life is the hardest thing to do,
We’ve got this. We have conquered the beast. Our lives are already beautiful and it’s up to each one of us to see that beauty every single moment of every single day. It ain’t always easy, but it is possible.
