How to look after your Mental Health when you have Chronic Illness

The importance of addressing your mental health, as well as your physical health, when you have chronic illness!

Each year on October 10th is World Mental Health Day, WMHD for short. Living with chronic illness and chronic pain, naturally impacts on your mental health too. This is because there isn’t just a battle going on physically, there is also a battle going on mentally as well that comes as part of the fight against chronic pain. This is why on my blog and in my Facebook group “HELEN’S FIBROMYALGIA AWARENESS & CHRONIC ILLNESS SUPPORT GROUP” I cover both physical health and mental health as the two can impact on each other so much. This WMHD post is a reminder than we can’t ignore our mental wellbeing. This post will explore addressing the mental health side of living with chronic illness and how we can help ourselves and each other in this area. After all this year’s WMHD theme set by the World Federation for Mental Health is ‘MENTAL HEALTH FOR ALL’!

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‘Chronic Illness Joke of the Week’ Series – Joke about delaying the task of taking down all the Christmas decorations

Hello and welcome to my series ‘CHRONIC ILLNESS JOKE OF THE WEEK’ where I share with you a joke that can be appreciated by sufferers and their loved ones. As well as non-sufferers too, to give them an insight into our world of living with chronic illness and what that brings with it…

In my Facebook support group ‘HELEN’S FIBROMYALGIA AWARENESS & CHRONIC ILLNESS SUPPORT GROUP for people with chronic illness as well as their loved ones, I share a number of jokes and lighthearted meme’s about life with chronic illness. The group members are able to identify together, laugh together and acknowledge a united struggle so no one feels alone. So i thought, why not share this with my blog readers too! Hence ‘Chronic Illness Joke of the Week‘ series being created!

‘Chronic Illness Joke of the Week’ Series – Joke about Heat Therapy, especially using heating pads to help with chronic pain!

Here it is, my latest addition to my ‘CHRONIC ILLNESS JOKE OF THE WEEK’ SERIES, which is a collection of humorous meme’s and a discussion on the issues it highlights on the subject of living with chronic illness and chronic pain.

I also run a Facebook support group ‘HELEN’S FIBROMYALGIA AWARENESS & CHRONIC ILLNESS SUPPORT GROUP’ for people with chronic illness and their loved ones. In it I share a number of jokes or lighthearted meme’s about life with chronic illness and the group is able to identify together, laugh together and acknowledge a united struggle so no one feels alone. So I thought, why not share this with my blog readers too! Hence ‘Chronic Illness Joke of the Week’ series being created.

This week’s joke and chat is all about ‘Heat Therapy’ life, esp using heating pads to help with chronic pain. Have a look at the meme for a giggle and then read the discussion it creates. Feel free to comment on the post at the end and join in the laughs, discussion and sharing your own stories with heat therapy too…

‘Chronic Illness Joke of the Week’ Series – Joke about using lavender to help with stress

It’s that time of the week again, yes my ‘CHRONIC ILLNESS JOKE OF THE WEEK’. If it is the first week you are joining us, the title speaks for itself. It’s where I share a joke that can be appreciated by people living with chronic illness and also their loved ones. Yet suitable for non-sufferers as well, to give them an insight into our world of living with chronic illness and what it brings with it…

In the Facebook support group I run ‘HELEN’S FIBROMYALGIA AWARENESS & CHRONIC ILLNESS SUPPORT GROUP’ for people with chronic illness and their loved ones, I share a number of jokes or lighthearted meme’s about life with chronic illness and the group is able to identify together, laugh together and acknowledge a united struggle so no one feels alone. So I thought, why not share this with my blog readers too! Hence ‘Chronic Illness Joke of the Week’ series being created.

Chronic Illness Joke of the Week! Week 5: Joke about using lavender for stress…

‘Chronic Illness Joke of the Week’ Series – joke about accumulating piles of washing up!

Welcome back to my ‘CHRONIC ILLNESS JOKE OF THE WEEK’ series , week 4. The name gives it away, it’s where I will be sharing a joke that can be appreciated by people living with chronic illness and also their loved ones. Yet for non-sufferers too, to give them an insight into our world of living with chronic illness and what it brings with it…

I run a Facebook support group ‘HELEN’S FIBROMYALGIA AWARENESS & CHRONIC ILLNESS SUPPORT GROUP’ for people with chronic illness and their loved ones, I consciously make sure I share a number of jokes or lighthearted meme’s about life with chronic illness. The group members are able to laugh together, and acknowledge that there is a united struggle among chronic illness sufferers, so no one feels alone. This got me thinking, why not share this with my blog readers too? So I created ‘Chronic Illness Joke of the Week’ series for us all to share a giggle too

Chronic Illness Joke of the Week! Week 4: Joke about accumulating piles of washing up!

“Why does cooking take like 5 hours and eating take like 20 seconds and washing dishes takes like 7 days and 7 nights?!”

‘Chronic Illness Joke of the Week’ Series – Joke about being asked for a ‘brief’ medical history

Welcome to my new series ‘CHRONIC ILLNESS JOKE OF THE WEEK’. Where I will be doing exactly that – sharing with you a joke that can be appreciated by people living with chronic illness and their loved ones. But they are also for non-sufferers too, to give them an insight into our world of living with chronic illness and what it brings with it…

Chronic Illness Joke of the Week! Week 3 – A joke about being asked by a new doctor to give your ‘brief’ medical history when you have multiple chronic conditions

‘Chronic Illness Joke of the Week’ Series – Joke about answering where it hurts, when you have widespread chronic pain!

Welcome to my new series ‘CHRONIC ILLNESS JOKE OF THE WEEK’. Yes, the name speaks for itself, as weekly I will be sharing with you a joke that can be appreciated by people living with chronic illness and also their loved ones. But also for non-sufferers too, to give them an insight into our world of living with chronic illness and what it brings with it…

In my Facebook support group ‘HELEN’S FIBROMYALGIA AWARENESS & CHRONIC ILLNESS SUPPORT GROUP’ for people with chronic illness and their loved ones, I share a number of jokes or lighthearted meme’s about life with chronic illness and the group is able to identify together, laugh together and acknowledge a united struggle so no one feels alone. So I thought, why not share this interaction with my blog readers too! Hence ‘Chronic Illness Joke of the Week’ series being created.

Chronic Illness Joke of the Week!

Week 2: Joke about being asked where it hurts, when you have widespread chronic pain!

‘Chronic Illness Joke of the Week’ Series -Memory Problems Joke

Hi & welcome to my new series ‘CHRONIC ILLNESS JOKE OF THE WEEK’. Yes, you’ve guessed it, where I will be sharing with you a joke that can be appreciated by people living with chronic illness and also their loved ones. But also for non-sufferers too, to give them an insight into our world of living with chronic illness and what it brings with it…

Chronic Illness Joke of the Week!

Week 1: Memory Problems Joke

‘Odeon LUXE’ A review of the luxury cinema experience; making watching films more accessible when you have physical ailments

ODEON LUXE – watching your films in a more luxurious way!

My local Odeon Cinema (Regal Cinemas in the USA) was out of action for a while as it underwent a refurbishment, but this wasn’t any old refurbishment with a new carpet and a dash of fresh paint. No, I’d call it more of a luxury makeover! You see it didn’t just get a new word in its name – it got a new identity. The ‘LUXE’ really is visible to see!

“Fibro-my-what?” Let me explain… All about the health condition FIBROMYALGIA

Fibro-My-What?

Let me explain…

The 12th of May is ‘Fibromyalgia Awareness Day’ – So what better way to become aware, than by reading this blog post!

You write it: FIBROMYALGIA

You say it: Fi – bro – my – al – gee – ah.

The origins of the word:

“fibro”for fibrous tissues such as tendons & ligaments

“my”indicating muscles

“algia” meaning pain.

Also referred to as:   FMS (Fibromyalgia Syndrome)

“Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition of widespread muscle pain, profound fatigue & sleep disorder, along with many other symptoms.”

www.fibromyalgia-associationuk.org

According to the National Fibromyalgia Association; 3-6% of the world’s population has Fibromyalgia syndrome. 

3 day Quote Challenge – Day 1 of sharing a quote I love & the reasons why I chose it

3 Day Quote Challenge:

Day 1 of sharing a quote I love and why I chose it

I love a challenge, so being nominated to do a ‘3 Day Quote Challenge’ when each day you choose a quote to share and explain your reasons for choosing it – of course, I accepted!

Thank you to Shannon from the blog MSnubutterflies for nominating me for this challenge!

Here is my quote for Day 1:

I questioned if choosing a quote from myself was vain, but considering I’m used to putting myself in the limelight, I thought I’d go for it! 😉

What I’ve Learnt from over a Decade with Chronic Illness! Top 5 Life Lessons Fibromyalgia has taught me!

A reflection I am writing as I am undergoing treatment:

As I type this, I’m currently on a hospital bed receiving treatment for the chronic illness I’ve had for just over 11 years. As I am laying here with an IV drip going into my hand pumping anaesthetic around my body to try to numb my nervous system down, I find myself reflecting on the life lessons chronic illness has brought along with it…

• You never know what’s around the corner.
• You find out who is willing to make the effort for you, when you are simply unable to do it back.
• There is a big difference between being alive and actually living.
• Life comes down to love.
• There is always a way to do it or an alternative.
• You find out what your passion is when you can’t do it any longer.
• You discover your core relationships.
• The power of the mind and destructive thinking.
• The danger of owning your diagnoses.

I could really let my fingers carry on and list a thousand things, esp as I’m on this IV drip for a few hours…but I’ll only pick a few from this list to explain in more depth: