10 Positive Ways Living with Celiac Disease Has Changed My Life

10 Positive Ways Living with  Celiac Disease Changed My Life In 2015

1. Fibromyalgia has forced me to slow down, stop, and smell the roses. What I mean is, I have always been a driven individual. As far back as 12 years old I have had a job, worked, went to college, worked, bought a house, got my masters etc. I was used to being on the go, in the moment, on to the next venture, tackling the next challenge. Faster.Better. Stronger was the motto. All of this required energy, vigor, vitality and honestly, little sleep. In my quest to take over the world, I deprived and depleted my body of exercise, sleep, and rest. In the process,  I often took little to no time to stop and enjoy my accomplishments. All of this has changed. I can not longer run on air. I have had to learn how to slow down, pace myself, and literally STOP. My steps are more measured and for as much as this has depressed me, I find myself enjoying the silence and the many moments of solitude that I rarely used to have.
2. Fibromyalgia has helped me to be happy with my imperfections, limitations and flaws. I am a perfectionist. I hate losing. I don’t take no for an answer. Well, let me rephrase that, I used to not take no for an answer. In the past year, I have had to learn that 100% is not always attainable, feasible, or doable. This is OK. I have had to learn that less is in fact best, and even when I don’t like to not be able to do something, I simply cannot do it and you know what? That is OK.
3. Fibromyalgia has taught me how to use the word “NO”. The fact of the matter is, I am not every man. I am not SUPERman. I cannot do everything, I cannot help everyone. The word NO. is a complete sentence. It needs no further explanation, it doesn’t need a guilt trip, No is simply No. and now I know that “NO” is OK.
4.  Fibromyalgia has given me the feeling of hitting rock bottom, so I know there is a Top. I have lived a pretty good life. I had a supportive family, never wanted for anything, everything I ever wanted I for the most part I received, and if not, I went out and worked for it and never had a problem attaining it. Fibromyalgia has helped me to appreciate that I can’t get everything, I don’t need everything, I won’t have everything. I will not die, I will suffer. I will be OK.
5. Fibromyalgia has humbled me. The world does not revolve around me, there are many more people worse off than I am, having life is a blessing it in of itself. I am not the only person with problems in this world. This world is bigger than Me.
6. Fibromyalgia has given me the gift of modesty. I am a human. I have limitations. I cannot do everything. I have boundaries. I need to realize them and remain in those parameters; drifting outside of those boundaries cause trouble and is immodest.
7. Fibromyalgia has moved me to look at the small things. I now set teenie tiny goals, acts that once before seemed trivial, minute, now are mountains huge Olympian feats that make me smile. The sunshine, the wind against my skin, the squirrels in the yard, the colors of the houses on my block. All of  the small obscurities of life, I used to blow right by. Now I stop and take a look.
8. Fibromyalgia has moved me to take nothing or no one for granted. Every single move that I make, action, breath, step, keystroke, shower, meal, glass of water is vital and to be appreciated. Nothing is worthless, because I now  know that I will miss it when it is gone.
9. Fibromyalgia has given me patience. I used to hate waiting. I still do. In fact, my anxiety and worry feed off of my impatience. I wanted the world like yesterday and any time later was less than acceptable. I used to move fast , think fast, act fast, work fast and it usually worked in my favor. Now, not so much. Life doesn’t happen when I want it to. I can’t control the world. I can’t control my body. For some things, I just have to be patient.
10. Fibromyalgia has made me a new man. As hard as I try to fight it and for as much as I didn’t want to admit, I am not the same man that I was on January 1, 2012. I am not the same man I was 6 months ago, six years ago. I have changed leaps and bounds literally, physically, mentally