What are your experiences with asking for help? I think we can all agree it is not an easy thing to do, especially in dealing with chronic illness when you are not even sure at times what it is you really need. Asking for help is something I have never been good at, and accepting unsolicited help is even harder for me. This is something I have been working on as I feel it is due to an unhealthy amount of pride and ego. I never like to seem weak or vulnerable. Very primal of me really, like a pack animal that hides illness or injury to continue to blend in with the herd and not appear like … [Read more...]
Every Architect Needs a Blueprint
Architecture is the learned game, correct and magnificent, of forms assembled in the light. ~Le Corbusier I have been thinking a lot lately about how I can translate the improved health and continued healing I am experiencing into advice and encouragement for others. As the architect of my own health, the best way I can do this is to document my journey and explore the thoughts and philosophies with which I approach my wellness. Like the quote above says, we need to create in the light, and the more knowledge we have, the brighter our lights shine. First I should correct my wording - I … [Read more...]
Community is Everything
It's been one of those weeks. One of those weeks when all I have wanted to do is shut myself up in my room and lose myself in books, movies, and God willing, some good sleep. It is my (and I am sure most of our) default position to "retreat" and isolate when I am feeling bad. And it is a desire I have given in to many times throughout my illness. But I have noticed something. I have noticed that by staying present and showing up for my life and my responsibilities, I am frequently rewarded with beautiful distractions from the symptoms that would otherwise consume me. This has been an … [Read more...]
When Food is Not Medicine
There is some debate among patients of chronic illness whether nutrition is a contributing factor to our illness. I can only speak to my truth on this matter, and for myself it is an emphatic yes. When I think back to the days after both traumas - the first that triggered my fibromyalgia and the second that exacerbated my symptoms - I clearly see that my eating behaviors contributed to my dis-ease. Before the first head trauma I had what I consider healthy eating habits. But as soon as I became couch-ridden, trying to recover my ability to speak coherently, I turned to food as a source of … [Read more...]
Things I Love #10: Writing
It has been too long since my last Things I Love post, which is ironic considering I am in the midst of one of the most loving times of my life and this is my place to write about all things I love. The time I am spending focusing on my health is restoring me, but I have missed writing here. I am determined to find a balance and get back to one of the things that has always centered and nourished me - writing. Writing is a passion I can always remember having. When I was a young girl we lived in a very old house. My bedroom walls were covered with many layers of wallpaper. On a particular … [Read more...]