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claws at your being
trying to pull you under
grips around your soul
fear – haiku
fears
Living Our Best Life – fear
Fear, just typing out this word makes me feel anxious. It is an emotion that I struggle with on a continuous basis.
I am sure there are many of you who live with a chronic illness 24/7 who are also in the same boat, and it is not a cruise or a party boat. Instead, it is one that you fear may sink, capsize, or may not make it to your preferred destination.
So my question for you today is, IF you experience fear, how do you handle this emotion?
As always, thank you so very much for stopping by today. I appreciate each and EVERY one of you who visit here, you are a blessing.
haiku – fear
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leaves no room for joy
locks your thoughts into a cage
weakening your mind
living our best life – acceptance
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Hello wonderful human beings.
My question for you today is a simple one. Although I try to keep things upbeat, I have learned through a lot of trial and error that in order for me to heal to the best of my ability, I must first accept my present situation and go from there. So, my question for you today is, “What has been the most difficult thing for you to accept on your chronic journey?”
~ Thank you for stopping by to visit and your willingness to share part of your journey.
sand
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life has a way of leaving us with scars…….well traveled paths embedded into our brains dictating to us how we view and experience life, how we see ourselves and the way we react to life’s experiences.
many times we are not even conscious of these thoughts…….they have been implanted, taught or rehearsed over many years………
much like the sand, the wind manipulates by force how to display itself with out even asking for permission…..
today, I am sending out a gentle reminding that YOU have feet, you CAN move in a positive direction, you can begin to CHANGE your thoughts, beliefs, desires, and choices………only you can take away the power of the past.
living our best life – today
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With all the stressful things going on around the world, it takes a huge toll on our minds and therefore our bodies. Those of us who live with chronic illnesses have very legitimate reasons to be concerned. But instead on dwelling on the scary, we are going to focus on one postive thing we can do today to bring about contentment, joy, relaxation, or any feeling that is the opposite from the ball of stress you may have rolling around inside you.
So, my question for today is, “What is one thing you can do this very day to allow yourself to feel at ease in the world, even for a little while?”
~ I am praying for every single one of you beautifully amazing people, now go be amazing, even if it is from the four walls of your room.
“Peace is always beautiful.” —Walt Whitman
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living our best life – worry
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Worrying is such a awfully powerful emotion. Many of us within the chronic illness community live daily with a heap of things to worry about. Our health, our finances, our family’s health, a new symptom, our new normal, fear of losing more, the state of the world, decisions on treatments, how to manage all that is required of us, and on many days, how and the heck we are just going to make it until we get to go to bed again.
It sucks. It is not good for our bodies, minds or souls to experience continuous worry and anxiety with only brief moments of quiet and calm. Even if you do not live with constant worry, it has a ability to sneek up on you when you least expect it. You may be living in the moment, consumed with what appears to be happy thoughts and BOOM, you are hit so intensely that you feel as it any moment the anxiety is literally going to take over every cell in your body and bring you to your knees.
I know we all strive to live a worry free life, to be set free from our own thoughts, to be able to live outside of our deeply wired beliefs and messages. It’s hard, especially if you have been living this way for a long time.
So my question for you this week is, “What do you do to refocus your thoughts toward peaceful and calming energy, and removing worry from your mind?”
*This post, nor comments within the post, should be taken as medical advice. We are just people providing suggestions to help each other live our best life possible.
One Man’s Strange Supernatural Life – a book review
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Welcome, I am so happy you are here today! This is my second of six book reviews that I will be doing this year highlighting authors who live with chronic illness. My first review can be seen here
I want to make a quick comment as to why I am doing these reviews. Individuals who live with chronic illness not only struggle physically, mentally, and many also spiritually, but financially. There is never enough money for all that is required: tests, medicine, supplements, and treatments, and finances add another burden onto an already stressful life. It is my goal to showcase authors and to hopefully have others go out and purchase these books.
Ryan is a chronically ill warrior who blogs over at Ryan Callahan’s Blog and his book, One Man’s Very Strange Supernatural Life was purchased from Amazon with my own funds.
Upon receiving this book I noticed that is a great size to easily hold in your hand. I was able to read the print size, and without pictures, there were no distractions from the text. The cover of the book is pleasant to view with the colors and photo being easy on the eyes and calming.
Ryan’s book is a personal testimony on how and why he became a Christian. I have to admit, I have read testimonies before and although many of them are profound and encouraging, a run-of-the-mill testimony is not what you will receive when you read Ryan’s book. He has gone out on a limb and discusses experiences that many people could easily dismiss as crazy. Ryan’s story drew me in within the first few pages and I did not put the book down until it ended.
His book is a quick and easy read as I was able to finish the story in under an hour and a half. Ryan left me thinking about all he was willing to share in order to show others his truth. For me, I was struck by his honesty. It felt as if he was speaking directly to me and we were having a deep conversation about his faith. For those of you who are not Christians, you will still find his faith journey compelling and interesting. This book can purchased from Amazon and read free with KindleUnlimited.
I am also sending my copy of Ryan’s book to a lucky winner here in the United States. To win this book, please leave a comment regarding your desire to win the book. A winner will be chosen at random on 3/6/20 and will be shipped via USPS media mail.
~ wendi is the author of three books that can be viewed here.
The Shadow Boxers – a book review
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I am super excited to kick off my 2020 book review series with, The Shadow Boxers – Fighting Fibromyalgia – Your Personal Journey by Kim Johnson & Karen Anderson. My goal is to review 6 books, all written by individuals living with chronic illness(es). If you are an writer and would like me to review your book, at my cost, please send me a message.
The Shadow Boxers was purchased from Amazon using personal funds and the review is completely my own.
My initial impression of the book is that I really liked the size. It is not too big or small and fit in my hands perfectly. This may seem like an unusual observation but I have purchased books that were just too small for my hands to hold easily and therefore caused pain or too big and akward to hold, again causing discomfort. The print is also a good size, making the words easy to read. Another bonus is the colors on the cover of the book are easy on the eyes creating another asthetic win.
Shadow Boxers covers all the basics of fibromyalgia, which I have to admit, although I thought I knew a lot about the illness, I still learned quite a bit. The authors’ used not only their stories, but stories of others, allowing us to take a peek into the life of those who live with fibromyalgia and how the illness can affect people in different ways.
But what I loved most about this book is that it is for you to write in. You are an active part of the book, the main character, and with that honor it is imperative that you do your part. Each chapter is followed by a one sentence prompt and it is a place for you to express your own thoughts and feelings, with enough space to write a rather lengthy commentary.
Although I did not write in the book, I did use the prompts to express my own thoughts and I found what I wrote to be quite insightful, I just substituted fibromyalgia for the main illness that I deal with. Active participation is a MUST to get the most out of this book……..it is meant to be written in, to explore your own feelings, to express your frustrations and your inner most thoughts. Once you have made your way through the book, it would be like having a productive counseling session and a whole lot cheaper.
Kim can be found blogging at I Tripped Over a Stone and I highly recommend you check her out………she is an amazing human being and force to be reckoned with!
fear
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fear
seeps into your mind like an early morning fog,
slowly expanding into all the open trenches
unfilled spaces
finding places in the mind you didn’t know existed
enlarging to leave no room for productive thoughts
protecting its position like a vicious dog guarding it’s home
settling in like the dust in the carpet
seemingly unnoticed and determined to anchor down for the long haul
I am ready to clean house
sweeping it out, not under the rug
searching for all the hiding places
wanting to turn this into a childhood game i no longer want to play
i will find you
searching, one-by-one, the hidden rooms of my mind,
evicting the fear and pain
refilling the room with light and love and hope
slamming the door shut with a vengence
securing the deadbolt and allowing the love to expand to fill each and every room.
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Simply Chronically Ill 