One thing that I have learnt from living with #chronicillness and having to take many pills is that they can be difficult to swallow! (And I would love to know why the the smaller pills are so much harder to take than the larger ones!) But the physical pills are sometimes not as hard to swallow than the metaphorical ones. All the losses that chronic illness causes in life such as loss of relationships, your health, the future as you once planned are all devastating #spoonie #spoonielife #spoonielifeproblems #chronicpain #chroniclife #invisibleillness #chronicallyill #chronicillnessblogger #chronicallyillblogger #spooniecommunity #neisvoid #wherethetiredgirlsare #neurologicaldisorder #fnd #functionalneurologicaldisorder https://www.instagram.com/p/CkySCw5sfAi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

what do you mean constant screaming isn't a healthy coping mechanism, doc? . . . . . thank you for following! i appreciate you being here - and if you're reading this, please have yourself a lovely day! 😊🌈 💛 @spicylittlebrain . . . . #actuallyautisticmemes #autismmemes #autisticmemes #adhdfunny #sociallyawkward #stayhomeclub #highanxiety #laughterishealing #laughterisgoodforthesoul #panicmemes #sociallyawkward #neurospicy #wherethetiredgirlsare #spooniememes #sensoryoverload #adhdmemes #socialanxietymemes #executivedysfunction #autielife #actuallyautistic #neurodiversity #autismcommunity #autisticpride #audhd #neurodivergent #neurodiverse #neurodivergentsquad #neurodivergentmemes #adhdhumor #adhdcommunity

Heyyyy friends. Who's got my back? Err, can give me some advice about my back? Lol. Specifically, my spine and discs and such. I need more tests and info. But the basics I have so far are that I have moderate degeneration throughout the lumbar spine. I have a couple #bulgingdisc, and two #herniateddisc. A tear in the annulus of L4-5 and also on L5-S1. Blah blah, fun stuff like that. I'm scheduled to see primary care to discuss on Tuesday. I've chatted on the phone w/them some. And gotten some good advice over on Facebook. But I turn to you here too, k? I know you're not drs, Google is also not a dr, yada yada. But currently, in the past 12 months I've lost almost every long-time dr and specialist I've had. So I'm struggling to manage my mix of mess, and some of ya are super smart. When I see primary care to discuss these results, what type of questions should I ask? I'm pretty knowledgeable about a whole lot of medical stuff, but this is new to me. And if I'm not prepared, this primary care will blow me off and try to pretend nothing is wrong so she doesn't have to deal with me or figure anything out. So, Is there someone else I might ask to be referred to? Are there.... spine drs? I don't even know. Lol. I'm waiting to see Seattle neurologist, but that's months out. And whatever nerve issue I have has been getting worse kinda fast lately. I'm guessing my back is related, causing it, making my leg not work. What types of things might I try to ask the primary care to do, or send me to, to figure this out or make it better? (I've been assigned a brand new primary care who barely knows me, spends 5 min per appt, so I need to show up prepared, you know?) Or, do you think discs like this will just heal up on their own? Any advice is very much appreciated because I'm so fvking tired here lately and I'm tired of all the things, man. 🖤🖤🖤 #lifeisastory #spinehealth #healthyspine #bulgingdisc #herniateddisc #lumbarspine #nervepain #neuropathy #chronicallyill #spoonie #butyoudontlooksick #invisibleillness #wherethetiredgirlsare #chronicallyawesome #backpain #spinesurgery #spooniesupport #slippeddisc #patientadvocate #patientadvocacy (at Yakima, Washington) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUxb9Hbl9E5/?utm_medium=tumblr

#TinyTaskTuesday 💊 Check expiry dates on all medication or supplements. Sorry for the delay in posting this week, I had some technical difficulties yesterday morning and then my family arrived to stay over for a few days, so I forgot to try again later. Such is life! This week we are focusing on organising our medications and supplements. Making sure expired ones are thrown out and everything else is clearly labelled and easily accessible. It's a good time to make a list of any that will need to be refilled soon. I did this tiny task while refilling my weekly pillbox as I was already opening each bottle. I removed any old supplements and made notes of any that will need to be reordered within the next week or two. You'll see in the last picture, we label the lids with a sharpie since we store our supplements and medications in plastic drawers where only the tops are visible. This way we can easily find what we're looking for. We use a dark marker on the light lids and a silver marker on the dark lids. Correction fluid, nail varnish and paint pens will also work on the plastic and metal lids if you don't have sharpies. If you have sticky labels, you could stick one on each lid and, to save paper, just swap the lids out when you get a new bottle. About Tiny Task Tuesday: Training ourselves to pace & break activities up into smaller tasks. Creating sanctuary at home one tiny task at a time. You're welcome to join us! You can do a different tiny task if you want to, let us know in the comments what you tackled this week. Remember to celebrate your accomplishment however big or small it might seem! 🎉 _______________________________________ #MyalgicE #MEcfs #pwME #SevereME #ModerateME #MyalgicEncephalomyelitis #PostViral #cfsme #Isolation #Housebound #ChronicLife #SpoonieLife #InvisibleIllness #InvisibleDisabilities #ChronicIllnessWarrior #WhereTheTiredGirlsAre #ChronicBlogger #SpoonieBlogger #MEcfsBlogger https://www.instagram.com/p/CP5fISXjufV/?utm_medium=tumblr

White rabbits, white rabbits, white rabbits. Pinch, punch its the 1st of the month. February was a super busy month, seeing me do all the things! So on the blog today I am sharing a little look back at what I got up to. I'd like to think that March might be quieter, however I've just synced my calendar and diary and its all ready filling up. One of my goals for March is to start moving my body more, but when I have so much other stuff happening, its really hard to find the time to do it and it not cause a flare. As a retired/ex/no longer working in the field personal trainer I know that I should be able to create a workout programme that won't cause a whole host of issues. But quite frankly it gets me down creating my own, as I end up reminiscing and remembering what I could do and that just ends up making me sad. So today I'm asking if you have any exercise tips/programmes/suggestions/challenges that have worked for you? #spooniefitness #exercise #fitness #yoga #walking #strengthtraining #resistancetraining #30daychallenge #flareup #workout #gym #health #healthandwellbeing #healthylifestyle #fitnessmotivation #thisgirlcan #wherethetiredgirlsare #spooniesisterhood #thegoodgram #discoverunder1k #alternativelifestyleblogger #everysquareastory #mymagicallife #fibromyalgia #hypermobilityspectrumdisorder #raynaudsphenomenon #coeliacdisease #autoimmunewarrior https://www.instagram.com/p/B9MoeVTAzN0/?igshid=6gufy7o76ei

Just a quick little post to check in (it was a little more detailed but Instagram crashed and I lost my whole post again) My health has been the best that it gets and I've got a pretty good work /rest balance going. I will be having a Black Friday sale in my shop for 20% off everything but items that are already on sale both on my website and my Facebook page. I will share the coupon code for the sale everywhere on Black Friday. I'm only scheduling two appointments next month, one for therapy and one for a doctor. I'm planning ahead so I can have a potential busy shopping season for my handmade jewelry and also be able to enjoy the Christmas season with my family this year. Last December I had so many seizures all month that I can hardly remember any of that month. So now you're all caught up. How have you all been? Can I pray for anything for you? Stop reading here, hashtags below. . . . . . . #christmasshop #wherethetiredgirlsare #lessworkmorelife #lovemybiz #savvybusinessowners #fempire #followyourpath #createyourhappy #buildingmybrand #smallbusinesslife #hersuccess #businessbabes #shemeansbusiness #businessbabe #dreamersanddoers #ladypreneur #bossmoves #dontquityourdaydream #smallbusinessesrock #bossbabe #womanowned #womenbusinessowner #smallbizlife #smallbusinesslove #makersmovement #modernmaker #handmademovement #makerlife #womenownedandoperated #smallbusinessrocks (at Carson, Washington) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5GPk67B9ho/?igshid=1it6kfumidiv8

When you decide to dress up and do your hair and makeup, look in the mirror and don't even recognise yourself but you feel amazing 💄 #selfcarefriday #wherethetiredgirlsare https://www.instagram.com/p/B4VRPIahQRMLSj1mKR9-mDpm3ZW-Mf1kuWfiXs0/?igshid=1payii5meh8am

Today has been hard. I barely slept last night because of work related nonsense, I'm on day 3 of a migraine and week 3 of what feels like a never-ending pain cycle. But I grew these sweet peas from seed and I'm ridiculously proud of myself. Beautiful things happen even on dark days 🌸🌸 . . . . . #brimfulofcurious #mycuttingpatch #flowersofinsta #flowerstagram #underthefloralspell #alliseeispretty #mygarden #seasonsthroughmylens #sweetpeas #wherethetiredgirlsare #chronicillness #chronicmigraine #spooniesisterhood https://www.instagram.com/p/CC6RggOgJ64/?igshid=8mrva2fd3jke

I think this unicorn floaty is supposed to hold your drink at cool parties but I use it to hold my romance novel in the bath 🛁📚🦄 . #bathtime #unicorn #bookstagram #wherethetiredgirlsare #shelfie #diamondsinthelibrary https://ift.tt/37aynMw

Are you a Chronic Illness Warrior? I want to feel confident even if I'm in pain and look awful so the easiest way is to add a touch of sparkle, without using precious energy. When I add a piece of jewellery or an accessory to my day to day outfits, I feel this way. Paprika started from this feeling and now I want you to have this opportunity. The new collection is bursting with hope and I wish for others to feel able to live life to the fullest and achieve their dreams, warrior or not. Okay, you got me - a piece of jewellery doesn’t have that much power, but these gorgeous goodies will start your journey to positivity and this collection will reinforce it’s The support I’ve had over the last year has been vital to my emotional wellbeing. I kept the cards friends sent next to my bed to remind me I’m not alone in this. I realised that my inspirational poetry could pass hope and strength on to others. As I wrote the Infinite Dreams poem I was inspired by the strengths and kindness of my warrior friends. The hope they give others in pain is heartening and seeing the support of true friends gave me optimism. I strongly believe these characteristics should be rewarded and that we should reward ourselves. Anyone wearing my creations will receive an inspirational gift based on the poem. Together these will encourage physical and emotional balance and add that touch of sparkle to their lives. Before I go, I want to remind you that I’ve already announced there are celestial elements in the collection, based on the vastness of space. If you haven’t yet entered my Giveaway for my semiprecious star and moon layering necklaces set, please click through to my profile and enter today by tagging a friend! What strengths do you have as a Chronic Illness Warrior? . . . . #PaprikaJewellery #AccessiblePost #PoemOfTheDay #LuxuryGiftsForHer #LittleTreatsAndGifts #RefinedLuxury #SoulfulWoman #AnxietyWarriors #CreativeAndChronicallyIll #SpoonieLifeProblems #OwnYourLifestyle #WhereTheTiredGirlsAre #InspiringWomenToday #CustomJewelryDesigner #ChronicInsta #CustomJewelryPieces #InstaJewelsHandmade #InnerStrength #InstaPoems #WorldOfPoets #PoetrySpeaks #ByMePoetry #EtsyHunter — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2WTMIqr

I recently came across this quote on #Twitter and thought that it just brilliantly summed up the experience of living with #chronicillness perfectly. Because although there are good days, sometimes even wonderful days - pain and illness are still there, still a part of that memory and experience. In my experience, there is never a day when pain or the #symptoms of the #neurologicaldisorder I live with are not there; it is my full-time job, just one where I never have a break or a holiday entitlement, and which I work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This illness and these symptoms have now been a part of my life for so long, I can no longer recall what it felt like when they weren't there, or what it feels like to feel healthy, what it feels like to feel well. #spoonie #chronicpain #chroniclife #chronicallyill #invisibleillness #spoonielife #chronicillnessblogger #chronicallyillblogger #spooniecommunity #neisvoid #wherethetiredgirlsare #chronicillnesswarrior #chronicpainwarrior #chronicpainblogger #fnd #functionalneurologicaldisorder #fndaware #voices4fnd https://www.instagram.com/p/CqIM1NLtGp2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

welp . . . . . thank you for following! i appreciate you being here - and if you're reading this, please have yourself a lovely day! 😊🌈 💛 @spicylittlebrain . . . . #actuallyautisticmemes #autismmemes #autisticmemes #adhdfunny #sociallyawkward #stayhomeclub #highanxiety #laughterishealing #laughterisgoodforthesoul #panicmemes #sociallyawkward #neurospicy #wherethetiredgirlsare #spooniememes #sensoryoverload #adhdmemes #socialanxietymemes #executivedysfunction #autielife #actuallyautistic #neurodiversity #autismcommunity #autisticpride #audhd #neurodivergent #neurodiverse #neurodivergentsquad #neurodivergentmemes #adhdhumor #adhdcommunity

I feel this today. . Every year - I can see it in my Facebook memories - at this time of year, the transition into spring, my rheumatoid flares a bit. . Also, I had a breakup and was mad-sad and want to stay busy and distracted so my anxiety can't catch me, so I tore the house apart in reorganizing + rearranging projects. It's a f*cking disaster..chaos. I love it. It'll be so great. Eventually. . But I am way overdoing it. Lol. My old lady bones are reminding me that I'm not 25 running the visual merchandising department anymore. My stamina is like if a sloth and a koala had a baby = just sleep 23 hours a day and then snack. But, my motivation is high so... I'm back at it. I was up until 3am like a weirdo. But I have drank the coffee, mommed the bun, and gangstered the 90s rap. . Game time, b*tches. ;) . #chronicallyill #butyoudontlooksick #wherethetiredgirlsare #tiredaf #tiredmom #chronicillnesses #invisibleillness #mentallyexhausted #spoonielife #spoonieproblems #chronicpain #chronicallyawesome #spoonies #spooniesupport #autoimmunedisease #rheumatoidarthritis #jointpain #neuropathy #ibs #hashimotos #liverdisease #adrenalinsufficiency #psoriasis #anxietybelike #anxietylife #strongwomen #geterdone (at Terrace Heights, Washington) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNiP5OZM32A/?igshid=13j6uhejgd6s5

I've summarised this week's ME News and Blog Updates from the community. Below are just the headlines, to read the summaries and link to the original articles, click the link in my profile or visit ChronicallyHopeful.com/news ME ACTION: Survey To Create The Richest Database Of Complex Chronic Illnesses ME ASSOCIATION: A Warning Against The Use Of Abilify For ME/CFS and also: A Leaflet On Intimacy & Relationships For People With ME/CFS HEALTH RISING: New "What's Up Doc?" Interview Series EUROMENE: Expert Consensus On Diagnosis, Treatment And Care For People With ME/CFS ME TRUST: Strawberry Tea For The ME Trust MYHILL: A List Of UK Practitioners Trained To Treat ME/CFS JULIE: The Effects Of The Second COVID Jab LIFESTYLE: A Delicious Pancake Recipe ANNA: The Emotions That Come From Being Unable To Walk Freely CHAR: Celebrating May's Achievements VERONIQUE: The Importance Of Setting Boundaries And Limiting Stress ME ASSOCIATION Published A List Of Champion Bloggers _______________________________________ #MyalgicE #MEcfs #pwME #SevereME #ModerateME #MyalgicEncephalomyelitis #cfsme #Isolation #Housebound #ChronicLife #SpoonieLife #InvisibleIllness #InvisibleDisabilities #ChronicIllnessWarrior #WhereTheTiredGirlsAre #ChronicBlogger #SpoonieBlogger #MEcfsBlogger https://www.instagram.com/p/CPd8C-jjboW/?utm_medium=tumblr

I've been feeling very unsure of myself the last few days. It has been a very busy period, with a lot of family issues to navigate. Quite frankly I'm exhausted both physically and emotionally. I want to write, craft, create but by the end of each day I barely have the energy to eat my evening meal. I'm not sure what to write here...do I post about my own health, my experience as an Aromatherapist, personal trainer and coach, my enjoyment of the natural world and my witchy explorations. I'm so busy getting through each day and making sure the hubster and kids are all sorted I don't know where to start with my own stuff. When you're feeling overwhelmed with everything, how do you work out where to start? #bloggingbed #chronicillness #wherethetiredgirlsare #zebrastrong #fibromyalgia #ehlersdanlossyndrome #hypermobilityspectrumdisorders #hypermobileehlersdanlos #hEDS #butyoudontlooksick #thespooniesisterhood #spoonie #coeliacdisease #invisibleillness #mentalhealth #abundantlife #blogger #writer #chroniccoven #witchy #aromatherapist #naturalhealth #spooniewitch #aromatherapy #holistichealth #wellness #wellbeing #itsokaynottobeokay #mentalwellness #emotionalhealth https://www.instagram.com/p/B37skWrgDQj/?igshid=2y5wokf1u4gw

I have to make lists to remember everything, but lists also make me overwhelmed! Each week I make a might-do list in my planner of things that I would like to do or need to do during the week if I have the energy to do them. The next week, or after a few weeks if I'm not doing a lot of the things, I re-write the list with only the unfinished tasks, but then are other tasks to add too. One of the things that I do is pick three or four things that I most want to get done during the week and mark those with a star. Then a lot of days there are other things that come up during the day that I need to write on a list so I remember to do them that day or soon, and those aren't on the original list for the week. Especially when I am doing something important with a deadline, like filling out important papers or right now preparing for a bazaar, I break it down into all of the steps to get it done. But then there are so many steps that it's overwhelming! The solution that I've come up with is to pick just a few steps of the task to do that day and write them on a paper that stays on the top of the long list until I complete them (You can see what a difference it makes between the second and third photo on this post.) I also put tasks together that are similar, like today printing new copies of my medication lists to have in my backpack and also printing things to have at the bazaar next Saturday. The first photo on this post is unrelated but my handful I quartz points is a lot prettier than my lists😅 Do long lists overwhelm you too? Is there anything you've found that helps? Please share with me in the comments. Stop reading here, hashtags below. . . . . . . #lessworkmorelife #toomuchtodo #mentalhealthwarrior #chronicillnesswarrior #overwhelm #spooniestrong #buildingmybrand #smallbusinesslife #hersuccess #chronicallyill #chronicallystrong #wherethetiredgirlsare #dreamersanddoers #womenwholead #ladypreneur #bossmoves #dontquityourdaydream #smallbusinessesrock #sickgirlsclub #womanowned #womenbusinessowner #smallbizlife #smallbusinesslove #makersmovement #modernmaker #makercommunity #handmademovement #makerlife #womenownedandoperated #smallbusinessrocks (at Carson, Washington) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5yfOaPBcVM/?igshid=bkdzlnx4heqq