Tag: self-care

Spring into Renewal: Thriving with Chronic Pain and Fatigue This Season! By Irene Roth

by irenesroth

Spring is a season of renewal, but for those living with chronic pain and fatigue, the transition can be challenging. While the world bursts into bloom, you might feel stuck in the lingering grip of winter weariness. However, with a few intentional adjustments, you can harness the energy of spring and step into the season with renewed vitality. Here’s how to make the most of the longer days and fresh beginnings.

1. Embrace Gentle Movement

The arrival of spring invites us outdoors, but overexertion can trigger flare-ups. Instead of diving into strenuous activities, ease into gentle movement. Try short, mindful walks in nature, gentle stretching, or restorative yoga. The key is to move in a way that nourishes your body rather than depletes it. If outdoor exercise is an option, soak up some vitamin D while practicing deep breathing to enhance relaxation and circulation.

2. Prioritize Restorative Sleep

With daylight savings time and shifting daylight patterns, sleep schedules can get thrown off balance. Quality sleep is crucial for those with chronic pain and fatigue, so create a bedtime routine that signals your body to wind down. Dim the lights an hour before bed, reduce screen time, and practice relaxation techniques such as guided meditation or deep breathing. Consider blackout curtains or a sleep mask to improve sleep quality, ensuring your body gets the rest it needs to embrace spring’s energy.

3. Spring Clean Your Environment (Gently!)

A clutter-free space can improve mental clarity and reduce stress. However, tackling an entire spring-cleaning project in one go isn’t realistic for those with chronic conditions. Instead, break tasks into small, manageable segments. Declutter one drawer at a time or do light dusting while seated. Choose non-toxic, scent-free cleaning products to avoid triggering sensitivities. Creating a fresh and peaceful space can uplift your mood and reduce sensory overwhelm.

4. Nourish with Seasonal Foods

Spring brings a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables that can support your well-being. Incorporate anti-inflammatory foods such as berries, leafy greens, and omega-3-rich sources like walnuts and salmon. Hydration is equally important—herbal teas and infused water with citrus or cucumber can make drinking water more enjoyable. A well-balanced diet helps combat fatigue and inflammation, giving your body the nutrients it needs to thrive.

5. Set Energizing Yet Realistic Goals

Spring often feels like a time for fresh starts, but setting overly ambitious goals can lead to frustration. Instead, set small, achievable goals that align with your energy levels. Whether it’s spending five minutes outside each day, journaling, or trying a new hobby at a gentle pace, celebrating small victories can boost confidence and motivation without overwhelming your system.

6. Connect with Nature and Community

Spending time in nature has been shown to reduce stress and improve well-being. Even if a full nature walk isn’t feasible, sitting outside with a warm beverage or tending to potted plants can provide a soothing connection to the season. Additionally, reconnecting with supportive friends, online communities, or local support groups can help you feel less isolated and more encouraged.

Thus, the spring season symbolizes renewal, but that doesn’t mean you have to rush into major changes. Honor your body’s pace and find joy in small, intentional shifts. By embracing gentle movement, prioritizing rest, nourishing yourself, setting realistic goals, and connecting with nature, you can welcome the new season with balance and grace. This spring, let renewal come on your own terms—one soft, steady step at a time.

Happy spring, everyone!

Practice Self-Care

by irenesroth

Individuals living with fibro and other chronic conditions may have a hard time practicing self-care. We may find it easier to be hard on ourselves and push past our limits. This can make it difficult to keep going because when we overdo it regularly, we feel more exhausted, anxious and in pain.

I find this to be an all-encompassing problem for me these days. I never feel like i do enough because I always feel tired and unfocused. Brain fog follows me around my day like a mist over my head, blinding my reality, focus and much more. In fact, I usually wake up exhausted and things don’t get any better unless I make time for rest times when I do nothing but breathe and center.

For me, practicing self-care is hard. I walk around on auto-pilot most of my day, disconnected from who I am and what I do. By late evening, I’m exhausted. I want to stop the cycle but I don’t know how to do that. The only way I can see is to schedule in pause breaks into my day as a way to practice self-care.

I’m sure many of you have heard of what PAUSE means. Here’s a refresher:

P – Pause and take a few deep breaths to calm down your nervous system and ground yourself in the present.

A = Ask yourself “Do I want to keep overdoing it?” “Why am I overdoing it?” “Do I feel less than others?”

U = Understand that you have a choice to stops and let go.

S = Say and repeat the mantras,

  • Overdoing is the root cause of my suffering.
  • I can not overdo it.
  • I am more than what I do.

E = Experience what you’re feeling without judgment, resistance or overthinking. Become aware where in your body you feel the emotion. Then let it go.  

By using this five-step process, you can start practicing self-care by getting out of unconsciously going from one thing to another. As an added bonus, you may not over do it as often.

A Brand-New Year With a Brand-New Mindset By Irene Roth

by irenesroth

Happy New Year Everyone!

Many of us feel less than others because of our fibromyalgia. We feel slower and less able to live a life that’s fulfilling and meaningful.

Most people set resolutions at this time of year. As the clock strikes midnight, people are filled with hope and happiness. But is this really the way it is with fibromates?

For the first decade after I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, I always dreaded January 1st. I believed that it was going to be the same old stuff again this year, pain, fatigue, sleepless nights, stress, and an uptick of my other comorbidities.

At the end of 2015, I had an aha moment while I was journalling. I wondered what if I changed my mindset towards getting ready for a brand-new year? What if instead of dreading the upcoming year because of all the hopelessness that I was feeling inside my heart, I reframed my thoughts?

Friends, that made a real difference for me in not only creating positive intentions for the new year but also having a happy and purposive year.

Instead of focusing on all the things I couldn’t do, I started focusing on what I can do, such as pace myself, start a gratitude practice, slow down so that I can enjoy things more, and especially to be self-compassionate and kind to myself.

The benefits of changing my mindset were quite immediate. I was able to enjoy the new year more and I no longer dreaded midnight on January 1st. Instead, I started looking forward to it with anticipation and hope.

I started setting small, realistic goals, working within my abilities and comorbidities, forgiving myself if I didn’t complete goals that I set out to accomplish because I was having a bad day or week, and above all being self-compassionate towards myself. No longer did I push myself to do things that I knew would only make me feel worse and experience more pain.

Friends, we must remember that we’re not damaged individuals just because we have fibro. We don’t have to resolve to a minimalist life where we just do the minimum. Because when we do, our self-esteem and identity will be impacted.

Instead, we need to approach each year with determination that we can pursue our goals, we can live a life that’s purposive and meaningful, and we can do so in such a way that will give us more hope and resilience.

Fibromyalgia need not rob you of your true identity and self-worth. You can still set and complete goals. You just have to set realistic goals that you can comfortably complete, with space for those hard days when you may have to practice self-compassion and take the day off.

So why not sit down and set some goals for yourself. In my next blog post next Monday, I will discuss how you can set small, achievable goals. In the meantime, sit down and write down five things you’d like to achieve this year.

May your year be filled with happiness, love, purpose, and self-compassion!

The Importance of Prioritizing Self-Care By Irene Roth

by irenesroth

Do you find that you want to do it all and be everything to everyone?  If you do, you know it comes at a high cost to you as a chronically ill individual. It’s easy to lose sight of yourself in the process. Perhaps somewhere down the line, you may have been led to believe that taking care of yourself is selfish. However, this isn’t the case. In fact, for a chronically ill person, self-care is a lifeline to health and well-being.

But on an even more basic level, there is a firm line between self-care and being selfish. Being selfish implies that the world revolves around you, while self-care acknowledges that the world includes you and your needs. You are a very important part of your world. It means giving yourself the attention, compassion, time, and energy that you need and deserve.

Here are five ways to take care of yourself.

*1. Slow down

There never seems to be enough time to do everything you want or need to do. Yet, rushing through your daily activities often robs you of the experiences you are living through. There is so much in our live to experience such as this cup of hot coffee, this fresh maple glazed donut, or this warm lavender bubble bath. Slowing down can help you experience all of these things deeply. Further, slowing down can help you gain less weight, maintain lower blood pressure, and experience less anxiety.

*2. Make yourself a priority

We often schedule a massage or manicure after everything else is in place and done. This may mean that by the time we get to our massage or manicure appointment, we’re so tired we can’t enjoy it as much. We may fall asleep on the massage table or not even appreciate the pretty shade of red that our manicurist put on our nails. Therefore, it may be better to schedule these activities at times of days when we’re not exhausted and we can enjoy them. This may mean that we shouldn’t try to do too much before or after these wonderful events.

*3. Don’t skimp on sleep

Sleep helps all aspects of our health and well-being, especially the molecular, energy balance as well as intellectual function, alertness, and mood. So, we should strive to get 7 or 8 hours of good quality of sleep. This may be difficult for a chronically ill person to achieve. However, working with a holistic nutritionist can be the answer to your issues. She can help you come up with a supplement plan that will take your sleep from mediocre, at best, to good.

*4. Threat yourself

Buy yourself nice little gifts. We all treat our friends to nice things. Why not do the same for us? Perhaps get yourself a nice bouquet of flowers, or a new cell phone case. This can boost your morale and serve as a reminder that you’re worthy.

*5.  Discover your authentic self

It’s easy for us to create identities around our rules and other people. But who are we when our roles are stripped? Explore your identity and values in order to nurture the best version of yourself. Then do things that are in line and celebrate who you are. This can help you feel more in tune with who you truly are.

By taking these steps, you will be prioritizing your self care.  But what’s more, you will be living a better quality of life.

Being overextended, over-scheduled, and exhausted means you have to push back all the things you know are good for you and put them on a back burner. That shows a complete lack of self-respect.

So why not start by making yourself a priority? Why not make your self-care a priority? This can really be time to celebrate who you are in between bouts of chronic illness.

You deserve self-respect. Make yourself a priority today and take care of yourself.

Irene Roth

 

Irene Roth is a freelance writer who has a passion for helping the chronically ill. Having struggled with four different chronic illnesses for over 20 years has taught her a lot of valuable lessons. Her writing showcases tips and tricks of how to not only live but thrive with chronic illness. She has published over 130 e-books and over 1,500 articles for the chronically ill on how to cope with their pain and fatigue. For more information and tips, please visit her website at: https://livingwellwitharthritis.wordpress.com/