After a week of taking my vitamins and supplements again, I'm feeling a lot more like my happy self. No, I'm not pain free and super energetic. I may never be. But it is wonderful to be back to my functioning norm again!
My accidental self-imposed flare (because I kept forgetting my vitamins) has reminded me of how often we neglect our own health. We rush through life trying to take care of our loved ones and to provide for our families. We are so busy rushing from here to there and back again that we forget one important person: ourselves!
Now, I'm not saying it is time to get all selfish and think of only numero uno. That wouldn't be a healthy way to live either. However, it IS healthy, good, and advisable to think of our wellbeing, too, in the midst of daily life. In the end, what it comes down to is if we aren't going to take care of ourselves, how will we take care of our others and provide for them?
I know it is a hard thing to grasp. There is so much to accomplish in a single day already, so how can we make some time for ourselves? Or we have convinced ourselves that it is okay to sacrifice now because we can rest later, after things quiet down. Or we may tell ourselves that it's selfish to think of ourselves when other people need us.
Regardless of what excuses we conjure up, our health and wellbeing are and should be important to us. Our bodies are quite fragile. They can only handle so much abuse and neglect before they start to break down. I learned this difficult lesson a few years ago.
I am living with severe fibromyalgia constantly because (I believe) I disregarded the warnings my body was blaring and pushed myself too far for too long. I had fibro symptoms most of my life, but never this severe or constant. If I overextended myself here or got a little too physical there, I felt it. But within weeks, the worst was behind me again. I can pinpoint the onset of this constant fibro flare to August 2008, right after I graduated college. And up until last year, my symptoms were steadily getting worse.
Since I began taking better care of myself (although I still have much to learn, obviously), I have constant pain and fatigue, but the severe levels come and go. No longer am I bedridden. No longer am I stuck in my house all the time because of pain and overwhelming anxiety attacks. Those days are gone, and I plan to NEVER allow them to come back!
The biggest turning point in my life with fibromyalgia was the day I gave myself permission to think of myself and to take time out just for me every day. I don’t always follow through on that permission. Sometimes I forget. Other times I still feel guilty. And once in a while, I get so frustrated with my body that I give up on myself for a spell. However, each and every time, I come back fighting harder for the things that help me be healthier and happier with fibro. And that, my friends, is all that matters in our daily battle with chronic illness.
My accidental self-imposed flare (because I kept forgetting my vitamins) has reminded me of how often we neglect our own health. We rush through life trying to take care of our loved ones and to provide for our families. We are so busy rushing from here to there and back again that we forget one important person: ourselves!
Now, I'm not saying it is time to get all selfish and think of only numero uno. That wouldn't be a healthy way to live either. However, it IS healthy, good, and advisable to think of our wellbeing, too, in the midst of daily life. In the end, what it comes down to is if we aren't going to take care of ourselves, how will we take care of our others and provide for them?
I know it is a hard thing to grasp. There is so much to accomplish in a single day already, so how can we make some time for ourselves? Or we have convinced ourselves that it is okay to sacrifice now because we can rest later, after things quiet down. Or we may tell ourselves that it's selfish to think of ourselves when other people need us.
Regardless of what excuses we conjure up, our health and wellbeing are and should be important to us. Our bodies are quite fragile. They can only handle so much abuse and neglect before they start to break down. I learned this difficult lesson a few years ago.
I am living with severe fibromyalgia constantly because (I believe) I disregarded the warnings my body was blaring and pushed myself too far for too long. I had fibro symptoms most of my life, but never this severe or constant. If I overextended myself here or got a little too physical there, I felt it. But within weeks, the worst was behind me again. I can pinpoint the onset of this constant fibro flare to August 2008, right after I graduated college. And up until last year, my symptoms were steadily getting worse.
Since I began taking better care of myself (although I still have much to learn, obviously), I have constant pain and fatigue, but the severe levels come and go. No longer am I bedridden. No longer am I stuck in my house all the time because of pain and overwhelming anxiety attacks. Those days are gone, and I plan to NEVER allow them to come back!
The biggest turning point in my life with fibromyalgia was the day I gave myself permission to think of myself and to take time out just for me every day. I don’t always follow through on that permission. Sometimes I forget. Other times I still feel guilty. And once in a while, I get so frustrated with my body that I give up on myself for a spell. However, each and every time, I come back fighting harder for the things that help me be healthier and happier with fibro. And that, my friends, is all that matters in our daily battle with chronic illness.
© Amanda R. Dollak 2013
