The Number One Question: What helps make you feel better?

In all my computer travels through blogs, Facebook and Twitter people ask, "What is it that makes you feel better?"  That's a complex and loaded question.  The mind/body connection is part of what makes that question so complex.  If we start with the mind, our perception of our world makes all the difference.  Obviously the more positive the perceptions the less pain people have.  In an effort to learn more strategies to maintain positive thoughts, I have subscribed to Live Happy publication.  This
publication is chock full of good positive thinking tips and stories about what others are doing to maintain happiness and positive thoughts.  Another think I have done is join a week long Webinar on Wake Up Happy.  Some of the top positive thinkers around the world have shared their insights and strategies for living a more fullfilled and happier life.  Tomorrow is the last day of the series for this month and it was well worth joining these Webinars with a hot cup of coffee!  For more information on the Live Happy publication go to livehappy.com.  You can also learn more about the Wake Up Happy Webinars by doing a search on the Live Happy Web site.  It will help change negative thinking if you apply the principles and strategies.

So much has been written about the pros and cons of analgesic use for chronic pain.  The decision to use analgesics is a personal decision that should be made following a dialogue between you and your doctor.  Some people prefer to use alternative medicine strategies, herbal preparations, gentle yoga, meditation, and others prefer to use pharmaceutical strategies or a combination of these.  Again, this is a personal decision and you know what works better for you.  I'm not going to go into any of these strategies since there is plenty of information and opinions available in blogs and on Web sites.

Getting enough sleep is critical to feeling better.  So many people with chronic illness have difficulty getting restorative sleep.  For those people with fibromyalgia sleep apnea is frequently part of the problem.  Make sure you get evaluated for sleep apnea; it can make all the difference in the world.  Another piece of the puzzle is Willis-Ekbom Disease previously know as Restless Legs Syndrome.  Even if the restlessness you feel is more controlled, this disease can still impair sleep.  Talk with your doctor about the strategies and medications that can help you get a restful night's sleep.

Having something purposeful to do with your time is another strategy that helps to keep your mind off the symptoms that are making you miserable.  A friend of mine makes jewelry to sell so she is able to pace herself and work on her craft as she is able.  She finds a great deal of gratification making her jewelry and when she is able to make jewelry she feels better.  I have gotten involved in a skincare company that allows me to name my own hours and do as much or as little work depending on how I'm feeling.  Both me and my girlfriend can work in our jammies and that's always a plus!  So find a hobby or a job that isn't too demanding and allows for a great deal of flexibility.

There is one strategy that exceeds the power for change in how you feel over all other strategies.  That's the simple act of sharing and caring about one another.  There is nothing worse than being alone with your chronic illness and not having anyone that understands and cares.  Since people that have fibromyalgia tend to be highly sensitive people and frequently have narcissistic and abusive family members, there is no shortage of feeling alone with a debilitating chronic illness.  So all the chronic illness blogs, the tweets on Twitter, the postings on facebook and other social media have the power to make you feel better just because you have someone that cares and expresses love and support.  It's so simple for us to care about one another and there is no one that understands that better than someone with a debilitating chronic illness.  The rest of the world doesn't understand the power of caring and probably take it for granted, and they may not have their priorities established.  When you realize how it feels to be alone with a debilitating chronic illness, it gives you a different perspective.  It is easier to identify authentic and substantive priorities.  In that way, we are very fortunate and it is so good to have you all with me.  Sending love to all of you and wanting you to know that I do understand.  Blessings.

Live happy and don't look back!

Life is a series of ups and downs, especially when a chronic illness like fibromyalgia is involved.  Despite the ups and downs, if you aren't happy then nothing else counts.  Am I right?  Happiness has the power to affect everything in our lives, even our health.  I'm not saying if you are struggling with chronic illness that it isn't a tough journey, but I am saying that happiness is tied into the mind/body connection.  If you are happy you have more life satisfaction, life satisfaction leads to better relationships, and better relationships leads to more happiness.  It's a life cycle.  Another life cycle begins with taking care of yourself and making that a priority.  If you care for yourself you feel better, and when you feel better you have a better quality of life, and when you have a better quality of life you have more life satisfaction, more longevity, better relationships, more happiness . . . you see how these cycles work?  Stagnation is a foreign concept in the cycle of life and stagnation doesn't lead to happiness.  Happiness is a dynamic state of being that ebbs and flows as you travel on your journey.

I recently was introduced to a magazine Live Happy.  That says it all.  The newest research has showed that  "when we choose to be happy and take steps toward that state of mind, our golden years are more likely to be truly golden.".  (August 2014, Live Happy, The Golden Age of Happiness, pg 82)  Research has also demonstrated that when we are in the state of happiness that we most likely will live longer too.  Amazing how that mind/body connection works.  We are truly an entity that cannot be dissected merely into body parts. 

Me and my happy little kittie Wills with the cute whiskers!

I read a number of blogs written by people with fibromyalgia.  The focus is frequently pain, brain fog, difficulties experienced in every day . . . that focus can result in a downward spiral and rob you of your life.  Despite life's challenges, and they can be many, if the focus turns to happiness, relationships,and caring for yourself and others, you will feel better.  Happiness is a key that opens many doors and leaves you with good memories.  It's a matter of focus.

This month's Live Happy publication talks about the power of words.  (Rubin, Gretchen.  August 2014, Live Happy, pg. 40)  According to Gretchen, the words we choose are critical to our happiness.  The differences in our word choice reveals how we think and who we are.  If you listen to what you say it will reveal your attitude, level of optimism, your level of empowerment, how positively you think, and your entire mindset.  Listening can be a difficult task and how often do we listen to ourselves anyway?  We should be the first person we choose to listen to!  That's how we get to know ourselves. So, is your glass half full or half empty, do you play the piano or practice piano, do you exercise or take a dance class . . . ?  You get the idea.  Are you a victim of circumstances or responsible for everything in your life and in charge of you?  Being in charge of you leads to total freedom and happiness.  Those words may be nuances to some, but they tell a deeper story that may be affecting life satisfaction and happiness.

Happiness doesn't mean you don't still have difficult or next to impossible days, but it sure helps me get through those days and improves my level of resiliency.  That's the cycle of our life.  Choose that cycle wisely!  Blessings to you on this fascinating journey.  To read more about happiness look for Live Happy and find positive in your relationships, at your job, and in your daily life.

The New Year 2013 begins with cars flexing their motor muscles!

Mike Hayden

Mike and his Pit Crew

A New Year's Day tradition that started as a small event hosted by Mike Hayden and The Shafters Car Club kicked off today at 10:00 am.  Over the past several years this event has quadrupled in attendance and the enthusiasm just keeps growing.  Mike builds race motors and he just happens to have a 600 ft drag strip at his house.  This is what you call a hard core car guy!  This event has grown to include a pit crew, an announcer and DJ, and lots of great food cooked outdoors on site.  In addition, the passion that many in the community have for our military men and women has been included in this event as a fund raiser for the Wounded Warriors.  Today $1,700+ was raised to support these courageous men and women.  Last but not least, people bring their cars to flex motor muscles on the drag strip.  This results in lots of smoke, lots of noise and lots of cheers too.  Several guys brought their drag cars, but no nitrous was used this year so we didn't have any wheels coming up off the strip.  A number of people smoked the tires of their family car and that always results in a good laugh too.

MOPAR Danny

There is nothing as rejuvenating as pretending that you're a kid again.  Many of the drag car drivers today are in their 60's, but they have no intention of slowing down yet.  That spark and spirit is what truly keeps people feeling and acting younger than their biological years.  And acting like a kid again helps to ease chronic pain and boost the spirits of those people with chronic illness.  The looming fiscal cliff and all the past year's worries and concerns of a sluggish economy have taken it's toll on people.  People all over the world are feeling a financial crunch, because we are globally connected to one another.  There is only one

Enthusiasm goes viral!

People are automatically drawn to high energy people that are passionate about life. That energy and passion are so "hot" that they are out front and center. These are the people that love life so much that they wear it every day as if their own life depends on it. In a way, their life does depend on it, because where is the quality of life without enthusiasm?   When enthusiasm wanes so goes joy, passion, happiness, satisfaction and life purpose. When your life purpose is lost and enthusiasm becomes a distant memory, your brain will retreat into a sad and dark place.

Have you ever watched a child at play?   They love to explore everything in their world with a great passion. It is so fun to watch their life adventures as we personally yearn for the enthusiasm of those earlier years. Children are so enthusiastic that they run wherever they go and they are living life large at full steam ahead at all times. No wonder they sleep so well!   So what happens to that enthusiastic frenzy that characterizes the waking hours of a child?

Maintaining enthusiasm and passion for life requires energy and resilience. Each year serves up challenges that test our resolve. These challenges become more intense as energy wanes with age or from a chronic illness, like fibromyalgia. As the years go by we vigilantly compile a mental scrapbook of all our life experiences and challenges. Every day our brain revisits that mental scrapbook in our conscious and subconscious mind. That scrapbook review shapes your day and your response to all the day's events. Your life scrapbook that showcases all your life experiences is a truly powerful book indeed! Your life experiences scrapbook demonstrates who you are and those pages are shared selectively with others every day. As your scrapbook's pages fill up you may get weary of keeping it up to date and decide not to add more pages. That's an indication you have decided to lose your enthusiasm. So what have you put in your scrapbook, what is the title of your scrapbook and how have you displayed your important life events?   Have you decided to use bright, eye-catching colors for those difficult days or for the valuable lessons learned?   Does the title of your scrapbook portray a life of enthusiasm and passion, or a life of defeat? 


Sid

Sid is a remarkable man.   He is an excellent example of enthusiasm for life. The only way people know that Sid survived stage 4 malignant melanoma and several years of potent chemotherapy that would have been the average person's demise, is the radical neck dissection scars he wears every day.   Sid maintained a positive life outlook and enthusiasm for life despite the doctors that told him he was going to die. That didn't discourage Sid, and his determination and enthusiasm ultimately defeated