Got Hope

Hope is so important, especially when you're living with chronic pain. Nothing I've encountered in my life has challenged my sense of hope the way my chronic migraines and fibromyalgia have. I've frequently been overwhelmed with the sense that I was in a horrible dark hole of pain that I may never get out of. I mourn for the things I can no longer do and the life I used to lead. I get angry about all the pain and the brain fog and the fatigue and the nausea...

Sometimes these things weigh very heavily on me and finding my way out of that hole can be very difficult. These are some of the tricks I've found helpful:

1. Laugh, laugh, laugh: This can be the hardest thing to do when you're in a hole. You can either fake it for a while if you need to (sounds cheesy but it really does work), or you can have some standby laugh inducers. There are some things that always make me laugh, certain SNL sketches, Arrested Development... Enjoying a good laugh always puts me in the right frame of mind to begin feeling better.

2. Set aside some time to really feel everything you are going through. Stuffing emotions only delays the inevitable. By giving them a time (not too long) you can honor them, understand them and then set them aside because emotions are just emotions and they don't have to run our lives.

3. Spend much more time focusing on all the positive things in life. I like to focus on the things I can still do, the blessings I have, the people I love - that kind of thing. This always helps me to keep things in perspective and remember that there is actually hope.

4. Do things that are fun and relaxing, no matter how big or small. Doing these things help me to feel more like a regular person and sometimes I even catch a glimpse of the old me. Honestly, this probably does the most to help me feel hopeful. I know I'm still in there and someday I hope to see more of that me.