Strategies For Coping During Crazy Times

Things come up. Life has a way of being unpredictable and crazy at the most inopportune times. That's why we have sayings like "when it rains it pours". Because life is this way, I often find myself overwhelmed by times when it pours. You see, chronic migraines and fibromyalgia impact every aspect of my life, every single day, making it difficult to keep up.

My best ability to function is dependent upon things being just so. I need to sleep enough. I need to eat well and stay hydrated. I need to ration my activity so that I don't overdo it. I need to keep my stress low. I need to do my gentle exercises. Basically, I need my routine so that I can do all the things that help me to manage my symptoms. This is in direct conflict with the craziness of life.

When life gets crazy and I find myself overwhelmed or unable to keep up I always experience an increase in my symptoms and a crash. I don't know how to avoid it but here are a few things I do to help cope with it.
1. Ask for help.
2. Let go of tasks that can wait for calmer times.
3. Hold on and remember things always quiet down again.
4. Find something to laugh about - every day needs laughs - especially when things get crazy.
5. Snuggle with hubby and our dog Gypsy.
6. Try not to judge myself too harshly because I can't keep up with all the healthy people around me. This one is the toughest. I can be rather harsh on myself.

In the years since chronic pain took over my life, I've found the concept of coping to be liquid. Sometimes it is easier than other times. Something I do better, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I don't think I can keep working so hard at it, then I realize I just have to. Sometimes I even feel like I've got the hang of it.