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Chronically Living

Making the most of it with chronic illness.

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Kelsey Harris, MA, RCC
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I’m not going to lie, moving to a new city in your late 30s while single is hard and can be lonely, even with a brother and a few friends nearby, it’s really starting over. And so I started to think a bit more about loneliness because it’s something that comes up with a lot of people with chronic pain and illness. There are many ways we can ease loneliness while understanding that it’s part of the human experience (not to get too existential on you).

This very existential quote serves as a reminder for me to stay present and enjoy the beauty. The beauty of nature, of my friendships and family, the beauty of music and art, and even though there are many things in my life that are difficult, such as having chronic pain and illness, I only have now to live and enjoy those things. Here’s the thing, it was not overnight for me to get to the place where I can say that. Chronic pain, anxiety, depression, etc. makes it hard for everyone dealing with any of these to be able to appreciate the beauty. If you’re not there yet, that’s okay. There are many roads to this place.

From babyhood to adulthood I’ve always played music. And throughout my life I’ve noticed that it can calm anxieties in addition to being enjoyable. Did you know that even just listening to music let alone playing it can make you more resilient to chronic pain? Since I’ve had my piano back in my possession (it lived with my parents for a long time) I’ve been playing more and more often, fully engaging. And while it by no means takes my pain away, I do feel resilient. Now we can totally argue how much music is influencing that but how I see it is if the research seems to say it’s helpful, why not try it?!

I’m not at all anti-medications. I take hydroxychloroquine for my UCTD. I take Celebrex as needed for pain. I have a prescription for CBD for pain. I did manage to reduce my need for Celebrex and stopped taking lyrica because I started to see a lot of benefit from my lifestyle changes. However this approach is not possible for everyone. I think there perhaps some truth to what Jon Kabat-Zinn says in this quote - we got for the pills first - and then only look at lifestyle when the medication is perhaps not as effective as we’d hoped. Both meds and lifestyle factors are important for health and mental health when we observe from a biopsychosocial approach. What do you all think?

I read a one page ad/article on foods for the brain in a magazine for clinical counsellors and was very interested if (a) I was/can eat these things and (b) what overlap there was with recommended foods for AI disease. That being said we all follow our own ways of eating that work best for us, which I’m all about, but still it’s literally food for thought. How does this list compare to how you eat?

Pain refers to a group of sensations. Often doctors will ask us to describe it. Burning? Stabbing? Throbbing? Sharp? Dull? Achy? Etc. I think this can go beyond medical practice

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Tag: foot arches

Video: Daily Exercise – Foot Arches

Strengthening the arch of your foot can help with a number of foot and toe problems, including trigger toe.

Always consult with appropriate healthcare professionals before starting any new exercise.

Keep making the most of it!

Posted on June 19, 2022June 7, 2022Tags chronic illness, chronic pain, exercise, feet, foot arches, health, mental health, trigger toe, video, video post, vlog, wellnessLeave a comment on Video: Daily Exercise – Foot Arches

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