I think it is so important when you have a chronic illness or disorder, whether Celiac or Diabetes or Fibromyalsia or whatever, that you treat not just the illness but all of you. This means focusing on all aspects of you, not just the "sick" part. It can become very easy to start living the diet instead of making it part of your life. You need to remember to take care of, not only your illness, but all of the other parts of your life: friends, family, hobbies, guilty pleasures. Yes, treat yourself to the new specialty food or cooking appliance, but also make sure to pamper yourself in other ways. Buy a new hat. Get a massage (I did this yesterday!) Listen to some fabulous music. Learn to crochet. Dance in your family room. Buy new slippers. Anything that makes you smile and gives your heart and soul a little lift. A fabulous local girl, Jenni, is a champion at this. She believes in it so strongly that she has an entire web site for girls like us called Chronic Babe. Go check it out, even if you are dude instead of a babe. Let others know about it. Spread the word. Our chronic disorders (I hate the word disease!) are an important force in our lives, but it need not completely define who we are. Celebrate all of the other amazing things in your life that make you the unique person that you are!
My new monkey slippers!
So what do you do to pamper yourself?
1 comment:
Excellent advice! I love the slippers. I will work on the pamper-me stuff. Thanks!
Post a Comment