Day 347 - Learning and Re-Learning to Live Well With Fibro

I don't have to like the limitations that living with fibro and fatigue brings, but if I am going to have a happy and satisfying life, I need to make peace with them. Acceptance doesn't mean I've given up on increasing my overall wellness and it doesn't mean that I won't continue to seek out the best that the medicine has to offer. I can accept where I am and continue to plan on getting better. I can rely on traditional medicine as well as holistic and non-traditional treatments to create robust health and a better mind-body-spirit connection. When my mind is at peace and my heart is open, I am open to healing that comes from many sources. Everything that is good and beautiful and pure is a source of healing and who is to say that one healing experience holds more value than another. Love heals. Nature heals. Prayer heals. Acceptance heals.

 

My struggles are part of my spiritual journey and not a single one of us escapes life's challenges, so why should I think I am unique in any way? My labels for my challenge may be different from another individuals. but who doesn't experience pain or on occasion, overwhelming fatigue? My experience is one of degrees - more than some, less than others. I am learning and re-learning lessons as a result of my experience- patience, curiosity, determination, discipline, perseverance, optimism, faith, humility and a host of others. My lessons are not more or less important than anyone else's, but they are mine to embrace. I can continue to grow and expand my spiritual awareness through this journey or I can reduce it to complaints and negativity. I want to be strong, not weak and it's the soul of me that defines my strength.

 

Each challenge I face, whether it is getting through a day when I am fatigued and unproductive or trying to figure out the next step in my treatment, is an opportunity to learn to be more accepting of myself and my condition. I don't have to be flattened emotionally every time I have a setback if I keep in mind that the expression of my illness does not define who I am or the value I have as a woman. I can feel compassion for myself and treat myself with the same level of care and acceptance I would extend to any other person that I love. The fact that I have met enormous challenges in my life helps me to be more accepting and compassionate toward others who are suffering or struggling through a particularly difficult situation. Like I said, I don't have to like living with fibro and fatigue, but fighting the fact that I am challenged is a waste of my energy. I would much rather gather my emotional and spiritual strength and work on crafting a happy and satisfying life.