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“When I’m in public I’m often afraid of people touching me or bumping into me because I get so sensitive that a touch causes horrible pain… I fear not being able to make it back… At least when I’m at home the bed is there.” #ChronicPain #CRPS #allodynia
15 Common Types of Fear People With Chronic Illness Experience (and How to Cope)
The Mighty community shares 15 common types of fear people with chronic illness experience – and how to cope.
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“It's the reality when people cannot see your #pain or the other #symptoms accompanying #chronicillness. They assume it doesn't exist or that you're exaggerating it to be much worse than it is.” @serenebutterfly #FND #chronicallyill #chronicpain
Why I’m Not Faking Being Sick; I’m Faking Being Well
"I'm Not Faking Being Sick; I'm Faking Being Well."
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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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“Yoga can be used therapeutically… Gentle stretching, #RestorativeYoga (a type of passive stretching that’s very relaxing), breath work and meditation. All four help us switch on the parasympathetic nervous system…and relax.” https://buff.ly/I1kKRMX @globetrotteri #Fibromyalgia
“Please don’t stop inviting them… Even though your [loved-one] with #chronicillness may have to cancel a lot… They hate canceling and wish they didn’t have to. They want to be a more reliable friend but it’s their illness that’s undependable, not them.”
31 Tips for Helping Your Chronically Ill Loved One
Is your loved one chronically ill, and are you searching for ways to help them? Here are some ideas to help.
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“Ruminating—all this does is increase #stress and make us feel worse… The only thing we can control are our own actions and reactions in the moment. Focus on the things you can do, stop focusing on the things you have no power over.” #MentalHealthMatters
6 things that are making you feel worse
These six mental actions create stress and anxiety that can leave you feeling physically worse.
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“People who have #MECFS are often too weak to get in and out of the bath, and showering can be very painful and exhausting… It takes me days to recover from a shower.” Practical Solutions to 10 Everyday Problems With #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain
Practical Solutions to 10 Everyday Problems Those With Chronic Illness May Face
Jo Moss shares practical solutions for everyday problems people with chronic illness may struggle with.
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“Strength is the #courage to rest when your body demands it… Strength isn’t stoicism. Sometimes, #strength is grieving… Sometimes strength is leaving the house… Or making #peace with staying in bed when you wish you were well enough to leave the house.” https://buff.ly/T58PWlN
“With a really good book I was able to pull myself away from the pain and into incredible worlds of fantasy… It’s the same with movies or TV… When I was asked what the secret was to surviving #pain that never quits: distraction.” #ChronicPain
How Distraction Can Be One of the Mightiest Pain Medicines
Tierra Drollinger discusses distracting herself as a method of relieving chronic pain.
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“Often with #chronicillness we’re forced to do nothing as our health limits us—particularly in a flare. What if we gave ourselves permission to do nothing? Sometimes #selfcare with illness is letting go of the guilt we feel when we’re unable to do things.”
30 Self-Care Ideas for People with Chronic Illness.
Prioritising self-care matters but it can be tough. Here are 30 self-care ideas for people with chronic illness (and everyone else)!
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“For many with #ChronicPain, mornings can be one of the most challenging times of the day… It may take several hours of gentle stretching and waiting for medications to kick in before it’s possible to even get out of bed. It can be incredibly difficult.”
7 'Hacks' That Can Make Mornings With Chronic Pain Easier
The Mighty community shares their "hacks" for making mornings with chronic pain a bit easier.
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“Chronic conditions are just that. Chronic. They’re not short term temporary issues and there’s no getting better soon, maybe not even ever. All we can do is manage the symptoms and deal as best we can.” @InvisiblyMeBlog #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain
15 Painful Facts About Living With Chronic Illness
15 painful facts about living with chronic illness that can help overcome stigma & ignorance around health conditions.
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“I am tired of being tired. Tired of the pain. Tired of thinking about the pain… I used to think I should just push through it, don’t think… push, push, push. But then… I burn right out and get sicker.” #ChronicLife #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness
Ideas for Self-Care When Chronic Pain Has You in a 'Funk'
Tips for self-care when you are in a "funk" from depression, fibromyalgia, and/or chronic pain.
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“It is so exhausting keeping up the mask that hides the pain. And sometimes, it is too much… Whatever the reason or the type of ‘too much’…it is okay to cry! Sometimes you just have to call it a day and hope things are better tomorrow.” #ChronicPain
What To Do When Chronic Pain Becomes Too Much
I've had chronic pain for nearly 2 decades. In this post, I'm sharing my advice for what to do when chronic pain becomes too much.
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“I can be very sick one day, relatively fine the next, then sick again… Even those close to me can’t see how the weather one day put me in bed… then I was exposed to a strong scent and back in bed… To many I just look like I am ‘faking’.” #spoonie
18 'Embarrassing' Parts of Flare-Ups You're Not the Only One Experiencing
Living with a chronic illness can involve many unpleasant and frustrating symptoms. We need to start talking about ...
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“#ChronicPain is always there…interfering with every aspect of life one can think of… You learn to hide it. You learn to function through levels a normal person would not tolerate. Yet you cannot get 'used' to it… Pain demands attention.” https://buff.ly/7EUjBx1
“Listening to your body is one of the most important things you can do when you live with #chronicillness… signs of increased #fatigue, dizziness and #pain… Ignoring my body can cause a flare-up of symptoms, so I try and listen to what it’s telling me.”
10 Things I Don't Do as Someone With a Chronic Illness
A young woman shares a list of things she doesn't do because she lives with a chronic illness.
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“When you live with #ChronicPain and are in a flare you have no choice but to rest and if you don’t you will be paying for it later with even more pain… Resting is not laziness and it’s a form of #SelfCare.” @sarahlynn358 #ChronicIllness 
Lessons I Have Learned From Living With Pain
If You Liked This Post, Please Subscribe For Weekly Updates If you weren’t already aware, September is Chronic P...
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“Pushing through the #ChronicPain simply doesn’t work and can completely disable you for days, weeks, months or years… Our bodies will literally disable themselves. And us. Because they should never ever be put under this kind of strain.” #chronicillness
When You Can't Just 'Push Through the Pain'
Why telling someone who is ill to push through the pain isn't helpful.
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“With #ChronicPain…it's about finding slivers of light in the darkness, tiny sparks of joy that can collectively brighten our overall wellbeing. It’s easy to get lost in the negatives, often we feel overwhelmed… find these micro-moments.” @Merehutton79
Finding Joy in Small Packages: Cultivating Micro-Moments of Happiness Amidst the Pain
Cultivate joy despite chronic pain. Discover micro-moments of happiness to boost well-being. Find tips to make joy a daily habit.
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“If I were honest with you about how my body feels when I wake up… you would likely think it’s not possible to feel so battered every single day… Because society doesn’t understand #chronicillness, there is no place for invisible #disease.” #chronicpain
Would You Believe Me If I Answered Honestly When You Ask How I Am?
A woman with chronic illness questions if people would believe her if she answered "how are you" honestly.
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“It’s not surprising that living with a long-term health condition…repeated bad days, or daily #pain and #fatigue, can keep us focused on illness… When we choose to do a little too much for the joy of it, it’s hard not to anticipate a crash or a flare.”
Thinking Wellness not Illness | The ME/CFS Holistic Coach
Suggestions for poeple with a long-term health condition for wellness focused thoughts, to replace illness focused tho...
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“We are grieving the person we used to be…I miss being myself…I miss my life… It’s exhausting and masking #pain to be around others takes a lot… Sometimes all I want/need is understanding… Just listen…or check in… Let us know you care.” #ChronicPain
14 Things People Who Live With Pain Daily Wish Their Friends Understood
We asked people in The Mighty's community who experience some level of pain every day what they wished their friends understood.
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