Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...
make yourself have a good weekend, a good day, a good hour. make yourself do it. the glass is half full, not half empty. ignore the crap, ignore the selfishness, accept the pain if you have it right now. Find whatever it is that makes you have a good period of time. get a hold on that space between your ears folks, make it happen.
If I am able, I make sure to walk my big Yeller dog. He appreciates the heck out of it.
When I'm feeling positive and not particularly l whiny......I make sure I call each of my kids. They need to know the happy me. That's the one I want them to remember.
I have a priority list of stuff I been putting off. Just one thing off the list makes me feel pretty darn good these days. Two things makes me absolutely ecstatic.
On a bad day....I let people at Church lay on hands and pray for me. To be honest, it's never done a thing for my RA but it seems to make THEM feel good.....so why not.
I always trust God to put the right book in my hand at the right time. If someone gives me a book...I read it. It may tell me something I don't already know. I keep GOOD movies recorded and DVDs on hand. If I can't get up....that's a GOOD day to watch movies I've been wanting to see.
I believe in gratitude for blessings. When I'm not sure how I am doing....instead of counting all the things that are going bad I count all the things that are going well. I usually find that I am doing better than I am feeling. That's a good thing.
I am a man with a disease.....not a disease with a man. It may not feel like it....but me and God got this thing under control.
RASally--I really like your approach of having compassion for oneself, accepting the negative side of this disease (without necessarily reveling in it or glorifying it), and creating a toolkit of options for difficult times. The repurposing of one's life is so hard! I still haven't come to grips with it, and it's been 5 years since I was diagnosed... Before, I was on a path with specific steps to follow, and now, many days I just feel aimless, and have no idea how to organize my time. I guess I'll just have to keep trying different things until something resonates. I hope you find your new path!
The space between your ears, folks... I love that. We are our own worst enemy most times!! "Save me from myself... "