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Showing posts from February, 2018

Fibromyalgia: My Health Journey

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Recently I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, a multi system chronic condition that is characterised by chronic widespread pain, extreme fatigue, brain fog, digestive complaints and depression. For a sufferer of Fibromyalgia, stress is a major driving force in exasperating symptoms. It is a lifelong condition (there is no cure) but with a range of therapeutic care, symptoms can be managed and even improved. It sounds like a lot, and it is. It has felt like I’d stumbled into a dimly lit tunnel filled with physical and psychological challenges coupled with medical puzzles that needed a large brains trust to solve. I’ve been in this tunnel a long time, but have now stepped into some sunlight. Rather than being completely devastated by this diagnosis, I felt a huge sense of relief, validation and overwhelming gratitude. For my persistent struggle with extreme fatigue, insomnia, digestive complaints, low moods and pain have for the past 7 years made me question my sanity, and doubt my capabil
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Letting things go

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  Have you ever been told to, “Let it go?” It has become a bit of a cliche phrase in recent years (thanks to an over-commercialised song), however being told to let things go can be a challenge; especially when you believe it’s something worth fighting for. I sometimes find humour in singing to my daughte r Let it go, when she has worried long enough about a problem that it begins to impede her ability to move on. Her audible groan and exaggerated roll of the eyes communicate her dislike of being casually told to get over it; not something a 14 year old can do easily. While I try to make light of her world crushing problem (slightly thoughtless, as I was once 14, and yes it is world crushing at the time) the truth is as a parent there are equal moments when issues arise with our children that we feel we cannot let go of. The reason for the struggle to let things go can be many factors: pride, the importance of being in control, an unresolved injustice, or a clear understanding that th
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New Beginnings

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  New Beginnings: two words that hold such promise and hope. Just saying it out loud I can’t help but breathe out slowly and then smile; I love a new beginning. I was reminded this week how starting a fresh can be so mentally positive. On Monday afternoon my mother rang to wish me and the children a blessing for the start of a new school year. She said, “Tomorrow is a new day, with no mistakes in it” (a favourite quote from Anne of Green Gables). I have closed the book of 2017; putting it on the shelf of life. While I’ve done this happily (some pages I wish weren’t written), I know it contains valuable lessons I will one day be glad to read again. However, for now I begin a new book, the story of 2018. Unlike the New Years resolutions that get made on January 1 and are invariably broken by January 31, my only resolve is to look ahead with hope and courage.   Allowing yourself a new beginning, is an important part of being resilient. It’s a positive mindset that says you’re entitled t
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