Have you ever heard of how miners used to use canaries to test the air in mines? The birds would get ill, or even die, from bad air much more quickly than humans would realize that the air was bad, allowing the humans to get out of the mine. Those of us who have serious cases […]
Getting Better
I’ve been very busy over the last six months and had some major changes in my life that have been very stressful. As I’ve said elsewhere, my main strategy in dealing with fibromyalgia has been to reduce stress in my life as much as possible. Unfortunately, the main source of stress in my life over […]
Jumpiness and Nerves
Back to the NaBloPoMo prompts: What do you do to cope when you’re nervous? I have a whole mess of diagnoses, including post-traumatic stress disorder and social anxiety disorder, so I feel jumpy and nervous fairly often. I’m on medication that helps, and I have Ativan that I can take if I must for panic […]
Broken Bones
Plinky asked, “Have you ever broken a bone?” Not a full break, but I’ve had a hairline fracture in my left elbow and right forearm. I remember tripping and falling down steps at someone’s wedding and cracking the elbow, but I no longer recall how I hurt the forearm.
Gratitude 26 March 2012
Today I’m grateful for MARTA, which allows me to get around without having to own a car. I’m also grateful for my wonderful pain specialist and incredible therapist.
Gratitude 23 March 2012
Today I’m grateful for having access to exercise equipment, and being healthy enough to use it.
Hope for Pain Relief
I’ve known of mindfulness practices for several years, and read Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness by Jon Kabat-Zinn several years ago. It is one of the books I’ve recommended on this blog in the past. I have only recently, though, truly committed myself to […]
Book Recommendation: The Mindful Way Through Depression
I’ve been responding to writing prompts instead of writing personal posts because I haven’t had a lot to say publicly. I feel a need to stop now, though, and strongly recommend a book that I’ve been reading. The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness takes a very different approach to recovery from […]
On Politics
Plinky asked, “Where do you fall on the political spectrum?” That depends on where you’re standing. In Europe, I’d be considered conservative, apparently. In the U.S., I’m progressive, so I’m considered a flaming liberal. I agree with the libertarians on some issues, like gun control (it means hitting what you aim at). I also think that […]
Accessibility
When someone asks, “Is (X place) accessible?” the answer is “no” if there are any stairs involved in getting there. It doesn’t matter if everything inside X is on one level but there are three “little” steps at the front door, or “just one flight of stairs out front.” Those “little” steps aren’t so little […]