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“#YouMatter. Even if you’re alone and feel like no one cares—you really matter. The #HolidaySeason is meant to be about spending time with those you love. Well…the most important person within that is you.” Planning for the #Holidays With #ChronicIllness
How To Plan For The Holidays With A Chronic Illness
The holidays can be a tricky time of the year, particularly if you're sick.
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“I’m not OK. But I can’t just say that. Because the truth is ugly and uncomfortable. If I actually said how I was, they would squirm from the awful reality of my #chronicillness.” 'How Am I? Fine' (and Other Lies I Tell Because of My Health)
'How Am I? Fine' (and Other Lies I Tell Because of My Health)
Often when this woman is asked how she's doing, she'll tell others she is "fine" - even if she's not. Here's why.
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“Living with #chronicpain means pain #patients develop an incredibly high tolerance for pain. Pain is not weakness. Pain means toughing it out day after day when you are feeling at your absolute worst.” https://buff.ly/3ZEqkVj @globetrotteri #chronicallyill
“When we aren’t physically able to keep a commitment we feel guilty for canceling… We hate being unreliable. As frustrating as it may be for you, it is one more event #chronicillness has stolen.” 'You Don't Look Sick': What to Say (& Not Say) #TheHolidays
'You Don't Look Sick'
Woman with chronic illness explains what not to say, and what to say instead, to someone facing a chronic condition like Lyme disease.
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“#ChronicPain doesn’t stop. It doesn’t give days off or holidays from pain—it’s there all the time. “I’m fine” can mean a lot of things but when someone living with chronic pain says it—it rarely means that they are actually feeling fine.” @DespitePainBlog
What "I'm Fine" Really Means When You Live With Pain
When my Mum was alive, she phoned me every day and asked how I was feeling. And every time, I gave the sam...
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“When we live with #pain and symptoms 24/7, if we lived our lives reacting to it by constantly screaming… we would wear ourselves out even further and cause even more physical #stress… more pain… We have to find some way of living with #chronicillness.”
7 Things I Want Family to Know About Chronic Pain This Holiday Season
A woman living with complex regional pain syndrome, fibromyalgia, degenerative disk disease and other chronic illnesses ...
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“Don’t beat yourself up… If your #chronicillness causes #brainfog, it’s not your fault… I still get sad that chronic illness has so drastically limited what I can do…but I’ve learned not to blame myself… Sadness can give rise to #selfcompassion.” #pwME
How to Cope with “Brain Fog” When You’re Chronically Ill
People who are chronically ill (which includes chronic pain) often experience brain fog—a lack of mental clarity d...
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“#ChronicPain can disrupt sleep, which in turn, exacerbates the pain, creating a distressing cycle. This disruption heightens #anxiety, reduces pain tolerance, and diminishes emotional resilience, making day-to-day coping a challenge.” #MentalHealthMatters
How Chronic Pain and Mental Health Feed Each Other
"Chronic pain and emotional well-being are not merely intersecting factors, but rather forces that are in a perpetual state of push and pull."
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“[Despite their own data contradicting it] the Mayo Clinic’s narrative clings to the simplistic "#opioids bad, alternatives good" mantra, leaving out the nuance that makes healthcare solutions work… [&] the facts about #opioid use for #pain relief.” #cpp
Opioid Bogeymen: ACSH Advisor Takes Mayo Clinic to Task, for Its Pain Management Fairytale
It seems the Mayo Clinic is more interested in spinning a cautionary tale than sticking to the facts about opioi...
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“I intentionally avoid taking a full shower on days when I have other commitments. Even with a chair, a shower requires considerable recovery time, so I do my best not to overlap—with appointments or other energy-draining activities.” #chronicillness
26 'Hacks' That Can Make Showering Easier If You Have a Chronic Illness
The Mighty community shares their "hacks" for showering on days when chronic illness makes it tough.
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“The ultimate desire behind every wish list is a better quality of life, whatever that means to each of us.” What Your Wish List Looks Like When You Live With #ChronicIllness: 15 #GiftIdeas For A Better Quality Of Life @AChVoice #ChronicPain #FestiveSeason
Curated Chronic Illness Gift Ideas For Christmas, Birthdays & Other Occasions!
A curated list of chronic illness gift ideas for a friend or loved one who suffers from chronic pain or mental...
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“With #fibromyalgia, I have basic high-level pain with #fibrofog that makes my head feel cloudy… I can’t seem to grasp any thoughts no matter how vital… Often I have crackling electric pain that feels as if it shatters my spine.” #chronicpain #spoonie
What a Day of Pain Is Like for Me
A woman with multiple conditions that cause her pain takes us through a typical day.
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“Nobody knows what it takes for someone to get out of bed in the morning and function… Nobody fakes being unwell or #disabled… Be kind. Don’t be so quick to judge.” We Don’t Fake Being Sick, We Fake Being Well @OSufferer #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain
We don’t fake being sick we fake being well
The person you see on the left is the image you see when I’m in public. The person on the right is what ...
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“People dealing with #chronicillness display courage in the face of fear and the uncertainty that is a constant part of their life. They retain #compassion—and smile through the #pain—to help put everyone at ease, even when they are imploding inside.”
To the Person With a Chronic Illness Who Feels Like a Burden
Woman with chronic illness writes letter to others who are sick or dealing with a diagnosis and may feel like a burden to their friends and family.
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“It's so easy to try and push through but that only affects our health, makes us miserable and makes #TheHolidays something to be apprehensive about rather than enjoy.” Managing #ChronicIllness in the Holidays: Tips From Fellow #Spoonies  @throughfibrofog
Managing Chronic Illness During the Holidays: Advice From Fellow Spoonies - Through The Fibro Fog
Managing chronic illness during the holidays can be challenging. Here is advice from fellow spoonies on how to nav...
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“Every holiday I was bedridden… For people with #disabilities… it is a lot more complicated with #chronicillness during this time of the year… I wish everyone a happy and safe #HolidaySeason… we are in this together.” #ChronicallyIll #ChronicPain 
5 Things to Keep in Mind About Your Chronically Ill Loved One During the Holidays
Annie Perkins explains what she wishes others understood about going through the holidays with a chronic illness.
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“Life as we know it changes immensely when we are living with #chronicpain. Think about a time when you sprained an ankle…stuck on a couch…unable to do anything. Now turn that into months/years and you have some idea of what pain #patients live with.” https://buff.ly/3BYSdON
“Do what you can—and no more… It is OK to say no. Please don’t push yourself overboard for the sake of a single day… It’s important that you enjoy the #holidayseason in your own way too.” 6 Tips for Surviving #TheHolidays With #ChronicIllness & #Anxiety
6 Tips for Surviving Holiday Gatherings With Chronic Illness and Anxiety
Jorie Logan Morris shares 6 tips for surviving holiday gatherings when you struggle with chronic illness and anxiety.
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“#ChronicPain is awful to live with—it’s there all the time and really interferes with life. You get used to living with it to a certain degree, but when it steps up a gear, it can catch you off guard… If I don’t pace… I’m in trouble.” @DespitePainBlog
Pain Interferes With Your Life & There's No Magic Wand
Pain always interferes with life. It kind of becomes normal but sometimes the pain goes up a few notches and takes your breath away.
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“I always want to go! It comes at a price too high for me to pay… Sometimes I feel guilt for cancelling on the day. Other days, I get upset… I wonder when will be the next time I get to go out. Each ‘I can’t go’ brings a flurry of emotions.” #ChronicPain
23 Things Your Friend With Chronic Illness Really Means When They Say, 'I Can't Go'
The Mighty's chronic illness community shares what they really mean when they tell others, "I can't go."
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“People with #chronicillness don’t have the privilege of knowing how they will feel… Please don’t stop asking—every invitation warms my heart and breaks through the loneliness and isolation… I may not always be able to go but I will love that you asked.”
RSVP: No. When my diagnosis makes me a bad friend
Believe it or not; sometimes I forget I am sick. I forget that my body doesn’t allow me to do certain ...
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“The people closest to me didn’t understand what I was going through, and after a while didn’t care because I was ‘always sick.’ So I stopped talking about my #chronicillness… The time I needed support the most, I found myself almost completely alone.”
28 Unexpected Emotional Symptoms of Chronic Illness
The Mighty community shares the emotional symptoms and side effects of chronic illness they were surprised to experience.
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“I spend literally hours every day trying to maintain my health to a level where I can function… Managing #chronicillness is full-time work. It's every minute of every day—and when we slip up the consequences are horrible.” #ChronicallyIll #ChronicPain
10 Things You Should Stop Saying To Chronically Ill People (And 7 Things You Should Say)
“You look terrible.”
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