By wendy, on August 5th, 2011%
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By Wendy Burnett
On August 10th, FibroDAZE is excited to be hosting PFAM and the theme is “Your Happy Place.” (We’ve all heard the expression “Find your Happy Place.” That may be a tough thing to do as a chronic chick. So this edition of PFAM asks “Where’s your Happy Place?”)
There are things that help me feel better on bad days (most of the time,) but there are other days, like today, when it just feels like no matter what I do, I can’t win for losing . . . On days like that, it starts feeling like there isn’t a “happy place” because nothing works.
When that happens, I drag out the headphones and the set of nature sounds CDs, and pick out a CD with ocean sounds on it. (I’m landlocked, and can’t afford to take a trip to the beach every time I need the ocean, so I bring the ocean home. I swear, if I can ever afford to, I’m moving somewhere I can get to a beach in less than an hour.)
I get nice and comfy, with hot packs if I need them; crank up the CD, lay back and visualize being at the beach. I’ve had this “fantasy” so many times that I can literally feel the warm ocean breeze and the sun on my arms; I can smell the salty, fishy, organic scent of the ocean; and can see the seagulls flying against the deep, rich blue of the summer sky. I can feel the hot, gritty sand under my bare feet; and then the cool, salty ocean surf as it splashes over them and recedes, over and over.
I walk down the beach, with the surf washing over my feet, and every time it recedes, it draws some of my stress and worry with it. Continue reading My “Happy Place?” Some Days I’m Not Sure I Have One! »
By wendy, on December 2nd, 2010%
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/mysza/2080895858/ The topic of this month’s carnival is gifts for chronics, and there are many excellent suggestions offered by those who know from experience what helps. Prices range from a bit on the high side to nothing at all, and suggestions are taken from both personal experience and things that others have mentioned that they would like. If you have a friend or family member who suffers from chronic illness, you’re sure to find an idea in one of these posts that will help you get them the perfect gift.
Sheila, at AutoImmuneMavin, remembers the gifts that have helped her the most in Chronically Helpful Gifts. She reminds us that the best gifts don’t necessarily cost much, and sometimes, it really IS the thought (and the presentation) that counts.
Mo, at Mo is Blogging, I Think; provides a “wish list” (including links) of helpful items for those with chronic illnesses in her post, Holiday Gifts for Chronic Babes. The price range includes things from high to low, and I would personally love to have anything on the list . . .
Selena, at Oh My Aches and Pains talks about some of the things she’s gotten herself that have been the most helpful in The Holiday Blues & Be Good to You. She also provides links and suggests that we buy something special for ourselves to ensure that there will be at least one gift that we really wanted.
Kathy, at FibroDaze (I just LOVE that title, it’s so accurate and descriptive,) offers suggestions in Gifts for the Chronic that are both helpful and thoughtful. Like Sheila, she reminds us that sometimes the best gifts aren’t something we buy, but gifts like understanding and acceptance of the limitations imposed by illness.
By wendy, on November 22nd, 2010%
Since Jolene is preparing for her vacation, and is unable to host the Graceful Agony Blog Carnival this month, I will be hosting it here on Transform Your Chronic Life. The topic for the month will be “Holiday Gifts for the Chronically Ill” and is intended as suggestions for gifts that are helpful in managing life as a chronic illness/chronic pain patient. Please include anything you’ve found especially useful or that you would personally like to try out.
Our healthy friends and family members never know what kinds of things are the most helpful for us, and last year I noticed that there were quite a few questions about what to get for friends who had health challenges, so I thought that would be something that would be helpful for those who never know what to get us.
The deadline for entries is Saturday, November 27, and publishing will be on Tuesday, November 30. It’s a little late, but I was trying to arrange it so that trying to write a post wouldn’t interfere with Thanksgiving celebrations for those of us in the US (and honestly, there was a little fibro fog involved as well . . .)
To participate, please send an email including your name, the name of your post, and a link to the post to burnett.wendy7 at gmail dot com
By wendy, on October 31st, 2010%
It’s time for the new Graceful Agony Blog Carnival post, and the subject this time is dreams. Not the kind of dreams you have while you’re sleeping, but the dreams you have for your life . . . It’s a wide open topic, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the group does with it.
Personally, I don’t really know where to start. I have so many dreams that it’s hard to choose between them, and that lack of focus makes it almost impossible to accomplish ANY of them. Since that’s true, it makes sense to me to focus on the dream that caused me to start this blog, and that keeps bringing me back here, even when I’ve been having issues with writer’s block and fibro fog.
No matter how long it is between posts, I always wind up coming back; finishing up drafts and writing new stuff. Even during the worst of the fogs and fatigue, I find myself starting drafts so that when I’m more able to work on things the ideas will still be available.
I started this blog because I wanted to help others with chronic illnesses to find ways to cope that don’t necessarily involve doctors and prescriptions. Allopathic (Western) medicine is great for some things, but it is failing those of us with chronic illnesses because its total focus is on curing disease, and when the doctors can’t cure it they get frustrated.
My dream is to help people find things that help to make their lives better in spite of the diseases they live with every day, whether that is a new prescription medication that reduces their symptoms or a stress reduction technique that helps them cope with those symptoms. Continue reading A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes »
By wendy, on August 15th, 2010%
There’s a new blog carnival in town, and the first edition is LIVE. Hosted by Jolene, over at Graceful Agony, this first round is introductions from the participants, and includes some amazingly candid posts.
I haven’t known any of these ladies long, but they inspire me and give me strength on the bad days; and allow me the honor of trying to do the same for them. They are the strongest people I know, and I’m so thankful to have found them (thank you Jo . . .)
Jolene amazes me with her strength and determination. She has been suffering agonizing pain, and is now dealing with a beloved family member who is in the hospital dying; but she still found the time and energy to read all of the submissions for the carnival, AND get it posted. I don’t know how she does it, but she is a model for all of us that live with chronic illness and proof that you CAN have a productive life no matter how bad it gets.
By wendy, on July 29th, 2010%
I’m a little late with this post, but the
Patients for a Moment: Nicest things edition hosted by The Queen of Optimism is now live. Ten bloggers (including me) write about the nicest things that people have done for them since they’ve gotten sick.
If you’re looking for inspiration or need to be cheered up, these are the posts for you. There are so many negatives involved in chronic illness, and it’s nice to remind ourselves of the positives sometimes.
By wendy, on July 25th, 2010%
We don’t say it often enough, do we? Thank you . . . Two simple words, but it can be so hard to remember to say them. Not for the big stuff, we usually remember when someone gives us something big, but how often do we remember when someone listens to us? How often do we thank our friends for just being there for us; for listening, for understanding, and for giving us the strength to keep going when all we want to do is curl up and die?
I know I don’t tell my friends how much I appreciate them nearly enough, so when I found out that the new PFAM blog carnival topic is “the nicest thing(s) anyone has done for you since you became ill,” I decided it was time for some “thank yous.”
I have a LOT of friends, both real life and online, and they’ve done TONS of nice things for me. I’ve been given computers, and televisions, and a home; I’ve had friends lend me heating pads, and cook dinner on my night to cook, and give me rides to work. . .
My wonderful friends have done more for me than I could ever repay if I had a million years to do it in; but the best thing they’ve ever done is just listened to me when I needed to talk about how bad I felt, how scared I was, and even when I was suicidal. Continue reading The Best Friends in the World »
By wendy, on June 30th, 2010%
The new edition of the ChronicBabe Blog Carnival is up! There are tons of tips for new (and not so new) chronic babes from 15 chronic illness bloggers who have been living with chronic illnesses of various “flavors” for a WHILE, and have lots of experience and resources to share.
Check it out – and if you haven’t already, be sure to check out the previous carnivals as well . . . You never know when you’ll find exactly what you need to help you out.
By wendy, on June 16th, 2010%
Jenni, over at ChronicBabe, has Blog Carnival #6 up! The topic this week is “passion” and there are plenty of different perspectives covered.
By wendy, on May 29th, 2010%
The new ChronicBabe Blog Carnival theme is favorite self-care tools and techniques, and will go live on Tuesday June 1.
I love this topic . . . self-care is a very important part of managing a chronic illness, and we all deserve to take good care of ourselves. I use a lot of non-medication methods to manage the symptoms of my multiple chronic illnesses (the short list is fibromyalgia and bipolar disorder, but if you’re really interested in the entire list, check my “Who Am I” page,) and I love sharing them with anyone they might help. I use a lot of aromatherapy and herbal teas for symptom control; and stress reduction techniques to minimize flares, anxiety, and bipolar cycling; so let’s get started. Continue reading You CAN Feel Better: Self-care Tips and Tricks for Fibromyalgia and Bipolar Disorder »
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