Tag: self-improvement

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!

What Would You Like to Achieve in 2025? How Would you like to Improve? By Irene Roth

by irenesroth

Just because we’re chronically ill doesn’t mean that we can’t want to make this year better than the last. We don’t have to believe that our life is over. We can just rest, relax, and be. But more than that, we can strength ourselves and set small goals that we can accomplish as the year progresses.

It can be hard to set goals for ourselves when we don’t feel well. Every day can become an uphill battle. We seem to only be surviving or doing the basics. But is this the only way we should agree to live? Or can we strive to do a bit more and be more by setting small goals for ourselves?

I sure hope that we can be a lot more than just getting through life, day by day. I believe that we can take steps to improve our lives every year. We can be better, even if it’s a little, this coming year. We just have to be intentional about it. In other words, we have to set conscious goal and plan when we’ll do them and keep stretching ourselves again the next month.

To be intentional about improving, we should decide what we’d like to do. Here are a few things to consider:

  • Would you like to be more active?
  • Read more?
  • Write a blog or book?
  • Declutter your home?
  • Donate stuff that you don’t need to charities?
  • Cook homemade meals more often?
  • Lose weight?

Decide what you’d like to do and then decide which goal you’d like to start with and get going.

I usually try to set one goal per quarter. That gives me the possibility of setting four goal every year, 4 ways of improving every year and getting more mobile, meanly shard, and much more.