Bouncing Back to Blogland (Update)

Introducing
a new friend!

Well! Here I am, quarantining myself at home–what better opportunity to get back to blogging. As services shut down, appointments cancel, and the clamour of outside demands subsides, the slower pace is welcome.

My goal is to use this time to catch up on a lot of things, especially crochet and blogging, and I would love to have you along if you will join me.   

A Bowl of Cherries

Cherries are one of the joys of Christmas in Australia.

They are only in season for a few short weeks. 

The 'R-word'

The 'R-word'.
 

Don't even think about it!

(It's dangerous.)

Live Well: Nurture the Spirit

I reflected in Surviving Chronic Illness: Positive Affirmation that one’s spirit can take a beating when living with chronic illness.  It can leave one feeling less than a whole person and emotionally fragile. 

It is important to maintain one’s sense of identity, self-esteem and strength to cope. 


When faced with the undesirable aspects of chronic illness it is important to counteract the negatives with positive feelings and experiences.  It is easier to cope if one can find ‘the little joys in every day’.

Live Well: Back-up Plans

Life is unpredictable.

For all of us.  

Chronic illness, injury or disability add complications to coping in a crisis. 

Chronic illnesses themselves can be unpredictable, even in the best-managed scenarios. 
It is important to be prepared.

Live Well: Organise Your Life

It always amazes me the amount of paperwork and administration required to manage a complex medical condition.

Live Well: Make It Easy

Life with a chronic illness is hard enough without making it harder than it has to be.

Why struggle when there might be an easier way?  When there are ways to make life easier, less energy is spent on struggle and more energy is available to enjoy the good things in life. 

Live Well: Organise Support

This is the third of seven strategies to 'live well even if you can't get well'.

No one can make it alone in this world.  We are social creatures - we need each other.  All the successful people in the world would not be where they are if it were not for support from others.

Live Well: Manage Illness

My first strategy to ‘live well, even if you can’t get well’ is to ‘maintain the highest level of physical wellbeing that the condition allows’.  

Part of that is to manage my illness and physical condition to the best of my ability. 

Live Well: Be At Your Best

This post details the first item on my list of strategies to ‘live well, even if you can’t get well’.

Maintain the highest level of physical wellbeing
 that your condition allows.

'Live Well' Even If You Can't 'Get Well'

Last August I suffered a nasty flare up of my symptoms and began writing this post.  My thoughts at the time were:

“2013 has pushed my limits with too many commitments.  I am usually very good at pacing things but 2013 just won’t slow down! 

“Hence a pause in blog posts as I cut back on activities for a period of rest and recovery.

“It is at these times when illness 'knocks me for six' that I appreciate the supports which have been carefully set up by me, my family and my care team.  It is perhaps also an appropriate time to elaborate on my affirmation card which advises:

“Live well even if you can’t get well.”

This post will summarise strategies to ‘live well’ after explaining the use of ‘well’ in my affirmation.

April Update

It's the 1st of April but this is not an April Fool's Day joke - just a quick update on my current activities.

Nerves of Steel

“Even nerves of steel are subject to metal fatigue.”

–P.K. Shaw

This is one of my favourite quotes because it reminds me that even the strongest in the world have moments of weakness.

Almost there! Affirmation & Acceptance

On 3 August 2013 I suffered a flare up of symptoms.  I was forced to withdraw from all but the essential activities in order to rest and recover. Hence no blog posts until today.

It reminded me of my positive affirmation from a previous blog post:

"live well even if you can't get well".

Loose ends...

My goal for Lupey Loops is to post at least once a fortnight for at least a year.  (Goal #9 in the list of My Ten Crochet Goals for 2013)

I am sorry to say that three weeks have gone by without a new blog entry.  I appreciate your patience as you visit Lupey Loops only to find nothing new. Meanwhile I wrestle with the end-of-semester exhaustion in a year of having extra commitments and events.

Surviving Chronic Illness: Positive Affirmation

The mental challenges of chronic illness are often more difficult to handle than the physical ones.

My collection of 'reminder cards' have helped me to heal body and mind.