Let’s face it. Some days are just harder than others.
Some days you can walk, lift, reach, scrub, and sweep without a lot of issues.
Other days you can barely get up and brush your teeth.
Why does this happen?
Well, if you journal, you can look back to see what you have done that may be the cause of the pain you’re experiencing now. Journaling is especially helpful for newbies to the world of Fibromyalgia and/or Lupus pain.
It took me over a decade of journaling to discover how what I had done one day directly effected me in the days that followed. The consequences of deep cleaning, weeding, driving, etc. all have devastating affects on my body.
But, sometimes it was hard to differentiate between what I did versus the diseases themselves just rearing their ugly heads. Almost like they were saying,
“I don’t really care what you’ve done today, we have decided that we are going to wreak havoc on you for no good reason- all because we can.”
It is true that on most days, what we do that day will directly effect our tomorrow because these diseases are unpredictable.
Plunging through the day is NEVER a good idea.
The weariness of the mind from daily, unending pain makes our mind scream on the inside and is a great enemy, too, and that weariness can be just as dibilitating.
If you are newly diagnosed, I encourage you to keep a journal of your diet and daily activities you do and how you feel after, and in the days that follow. It is difficult at first, largely in part to the 24-48 delayed response and toll it takes and makes us feel from what we did days earlier.
Trying to remember what you did is mentally challenging, that is why journaling is so important.
Journaling helps you keep track and discover the right fit for you with diet, exercise and just normal daily living.
Here is an example. I know if I drive longer than 2 hours, I will be wiped out for at least 2 days. If I lift something up onto a shelf, I won’t be able to use my shoulders the next day. When family comes to visit, taking rests is never an option, and by day’s end, I can barely move to undress and climb into bed. I now know that I absolutely need at least 2 days to recover from get-togethers.
Likewise, if I do not take time to rest on a routine day, on a heating pad, that by nightfall, I will not be able to move without a great deal of pain, if at all….I know all of this now—due to journaling.
Not everyone who suffers from Lupus and Fibromyalgia have the same issues-but the majority of those symptoms are so similar. Speaking to an understanding, sympathetic heart about how we handle these days can help, too.
I encourage you to start a journal today, and if you already do, then I encourage you to keep it up! Someday that journal may be a reference to help someone else you come in contact with who suffers.
We are warriors in a journey of pain that no one understands.
May God Bless your Journaling Journey!
Have a blessed day-
~The Fibro-Lupus Butterfly
