The weight of living with chronic illness is getting to me again. Could use some empathy from others who understand and won’t pressure me to explain what’s going on (a dozen small triggers maybe), turn it into their problems, or tell me it will get better or the worst, “Stay strong.”
We’ve all been here so here’s a place where we can sit with each other.
I’m here, and I both relate and hear you.
lately I’ve taken to trying to get sun. I can’t handle the over-stimulation of my house with my light on, so I turn it off and open a window instead. it’s really helped me, even though it’s a small thing. my desk is by my window, so that probably contributes.
I’ve been trying to work on taking walks too. I have four dogs (not by choice, although I love them all, my situation means that my two dogs are now living with two others) in the house, so sometimes they come with me, but I try to spend some time alone. occasionally I listen to podcasts but mostly music. I tend to avoid my thoughts via escapism, which I indulge a little too much in, admittedly. but it’s a coping skill I’ve always had and am not willing to give up.
I guess my point is I wanted to share, not to brag, but to show that taking small steps (sorry for the pun), for me, has helped. it’s not always going to help, and I can’t always try, but right now things are okay and I’m going to take that. it’s also been helping me to use a therapy skill, basically just naming one good thing that happened that day. if you can share it with someone, even better.
what have you done to cope in the past? if you don’t mind me asking. I’m sorry if this comes off as too much.
30+ years into coping with these things, my most effective and main strategies are good sleep practices; nutritional (making sure I eat regularly and healthily, supplements because my body doesn’t process enough from food, and minimizing things like sugar and caffeine); trying to minimize stresses (some are easy, like caffeine, others not, like the state of world and society); and recognising when i need radical rest. As in really not doing much of anything, which is boring AF.
ayyy 30+ year old club.
I’ve started to get better about eating things that are better for me, but it’s been a struggle due to texture issues. and I definitely relate on minimizing stress being easier in some cases and harder in others.
I have a really hard time with radical rest (that’s the first time I’ve seen it called that, too) both because it’s boring and because I feel like I have to keep doing something (anything) to feel like my day was productive. it clashes a lot with the times I can’t get myself to function.
Aye, the amount of real rest we need is so very tediously endlessly soul crushingly boring. We do need it though.