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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

5 Things That Give Me Hope Despite Chronic Pain

Hope is one of those words that makes frequent appearances in inspirational quotes. I guess because it is essential. We all NEED some shred of hope to help us through dark times. My years of living with chronic migraines and fibromyalgia have certainly brought about many of those. It would be safe to say that I don't go much more than 24 hours without need of assistance from hope. Fortunately, a little of it goes a long way.

 Here are some of the hopes I cling to as I make my way through dark days.

1. I try to always have at least one project that I'm working on that gives me a sense of purpose. Even on days when I can't manage doing anything other than the most basic things like eating and going to the bathroom, I can think about my project and look forward to working on it when I'm able to function more. This blog is a great example of a project I'm always working on but I've also done things like create a photo sharing site for my family and I dabble in DIY gifts for Christmas.

2. I wake up each morning hoping that I won't have too much pain. Even if I'm having a great deal of pain, there is always hope that tomorrow won't be as bad. I live for the not-so-bad days because then I get some stuff done and feel a productive (well relatively so).

3. I still hope to better manage my symptoms so I can have more not-so-bad days. I know there is no cure for chronic migraines or fibromyalgia, nor is one likely to be one discovered in my lifetime but I still believe I can do better than I am doing now. I sure do hope so anyway.

4. I can still laugh and enjoy things. Maybe it sounds strange, but I feel like this is a very hopeful sign that I am not defeated. If I can still laugh and experience fun despite the hell I've been through in the past 8 years then I can probably keep doing it.

5. My husband gives me hope. His love and support has meant the world to me. He expresses appreciation for the things that I do around the house. Even though I wish I was healthy enough to be excellent at it, he makes me feel like I'm doing a great job and that he values my contributions to our home. Beyond that he sees my innate value. He loves me for who I am, despite all this chronic pain crap. Loving him and being loved by him gives me hope.

1 comment:

  1. WOW. Your life describes my life to the tee minus all the hope. I want to lean to have all the hope that you have on a daily basis. I will keep this in my hope jar to read over and over to know that my life is worth living and that there is truly hope to be had. One good thing we do have in common is a loving husband that understands, loves, cares and supports us no matter what kind of day we are having and that takes a lot of love.

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