Although I don’t do a great deal every day, I have recently renewed my resolve to have at least one complete day when I don’t do any work whatsoever. Last week on my day off I was driven to a beautiful Shropshire valley for a gentle walk. Unfortunately, I was feeling a bit grumpy. I didn’t really … Read more
Because our energy is limited the demands on it will often exceed its supply. Sometimes this feeling of just not having enough to go around can be overwhelming. Whether it’s because others are still expecting too much of us, or because we expect too much of ourselves, having a sense that there is more that … Read more
A key feature of this illness is that we all have bad days: days when our energy is even lower than normal or days when the illness just gets us down. We might be able to learn illness management skills that stabilise our energy levels somewhat and we might be able to learn new ways … Read more
For many of us, our self-esteem is very tied up with what we do and what we are capable of. How we perform in our job, or the role that we take in our family or with friends, or even being good at a hobby or a sport all contribute to the positive feelings we … Read more
There are many strange challenges involved in this illness and one that ranks high in the strangeness ratings is how difficult it is to manage getting better. Increases in energy are never infinite. There are still going to be limits which if surpassed will lead to a crash. When we feel better, we know our … Read more
If you’ve read some of my other blogs you will have gathered that my approach to dealing with unpleasant feelings is to embrace them, accept them, accept yourself for having them and have faith that they will flow and change. Generally just let them be! The important thing is not to block their flow by … Read more
After all the aspects of my life that I lost when I got ill, I think the next most difficult thing to deal with was the amount of time I had to rest. It felt boring, uncomfortable, unproductive, wasteful, frustrating, irritating…… Even now that I’m relatively well, (and it’s only because I make sure I … Read more
This week has been the start of the 2014 winter of wellness: Every day there is an interview/ discussion with a different pioneer in the field of wellbeing broadcast live. These live broadcasts are free and you can also listen to a recording for free within 72 hours. The other day I listened to a … Read more
I’ve been reminded of this concept a few times over the last few weeks and it’s something I thought would be good to share. It’s a concept I’ve found really useful when coming to terms with my limited independence. Imagine a cosmic bank that registers all acts of human kindness. Its currency doesn’t just rely … Read more
The trouble with chronic illness is that it goes on and on. When we see little, if any, improvement it’s easy to get stuck in a rut and let motivation dwindle. In the past I’ve rejected the idea of New Year’s resolutions with the idea that I should approach every day with fresh motivation but … Read more
