The Second Blog - pre-bedtime

In sharing how I cope, I want to write about things I have stumbled upon or learned which will be helpful to someone else.  I don't really see the need to write about the stuff that was not helpful or worse, self-destructive.  Let's suffice to say that I tried my fair share of those kinds too.  I may ramble with anecdotes at some points but, I will strive for brevity since energy and time is so, so precious.

Therapy works.  I have a psychologist who shares the faith in God I have and it is very beneficial to my treatment with her.  Also, she is not warm and fuzzy.  She holds up a metaphorical mirror and forces me to see who I am and how I am behaving.  I have friends who would run screaming from her because they need to be soothed in therapy.  I don't benefit from that.  Sure, it feels good and I have had a soothing therapist before.  But, one who challenges me has helped me come farther quicker and reach a true stability that can be trusted.  I have grown to a good height with her.  She helps me in strengthening my faith and my self-confidence. 

It is hard to be a good friend to someone I don't have much in common with anymore.  And unfortunatley, upon getting fibro, life changed so dramatically and so rapidly that I wasn't left with many friends.  The blessing is this.  I turned to my parents, who I loved and who have been my rock during many times of my life.  As a result, I befriended them.  I developed a friendship with both of them that I'm not sure any of my other siblings have.  I don't know if they would say the same, but I only need to evaluate the friendship from my end, since that's the end affecting me.  What it is to them is for them to think on.  I have learned truly to let go of caring what is going on in anybody else's head. 

Food has been such a comfort in my life.  I, like most female Americans, have downed half a bag of Dove chocolates or a pint of Ben and Jerry's during times of crisis or depression.  My generation learned to sit in front of our TVs with a bag of something crunchy.  Decades of how I habitually ate had to change.  I am not fat, but I was still hurting myself.  Unknowingly.   For me, the change had to be made.  I was having a migraine headache almost daily at that time for several months in a row.  I stumbled upon a book and a theory about food triggers.  I embraced it fully.  Today is two full months later and I follow the rules very carefully.  I have not felt better since before 3/13/05. 

So there are my Faith, friends, food blurbs for today.  I'm on less medicine than I've ever been on.  I have more true friends than I've had before.   I'm more vocal on my spirituality than I have ever been.  I used to think of my relationship with the Lord as a special private, personal thing.  Now, I see that it is also something glorious to share with others.  I pray and read my Bible more than I have ever before.  I devote time to it.  It improves my life to be reminded how much I am cherished. 

Happy, happy evenings all.