Chin Up...

It’s a “keep your chin up” kind of day. You know the ones, when everything seems to take too much effort. The kind of day when you just want to say, “I don’t want to anymore”. Whether we will admit it or not, we all have them. I had them before my diagnosis, and I have certainly had them since. I have them more often now, though. And if you are dealing with a chronic illness, like multiple myeloma, pain, medications, fatigue, insurance companies, I can lay odds that you have them more frequently too. 

Here’s how I work through it.

1)     I remind my self that this is not my permanent state of mind. I’ve had more good days than bad over the course of my life, and I have more good days ahead of me. When you are in the middle of the bad day, it can seem endless. Especially if two or more of those days come in succession. But, this too shall pass. There are good days on the horizon.

2)     I focus on others when I feel this way. I pray for someone else having a harder time than I am. There is always someone going through something worse, the death of a loved one, a child who is seriously ill, the loss of one’s job and home. I like to write notes to people to remind them they are not alone – whether through texts, facebook messaging, or a hand- written note.  If a loved one or friend “occurs” to me through the course of the day, I reach out to them. These impressions should not be overlooked. I believe they are God’s way of letting us know that person needs to know they are loved.

3)     As a Christian, the thing that helps me survive my “chin-up” days the best is to draw closer to God. Generally, for me, that means worship. I find a song that speaks to me, and sometimes I listen to it on repeat a dozen times. Music, especially worship music, is healing to my soul.

4)     I count my blessings. For me, this is a way of giving thanks. I know that’s sounds trite, but it really works, if you do it earnestly and sincerely. It is difficult to feel sorry for yourself in the middle of being thankful.

5)     And, if all else fails, I drink a big ‘ole Dr. Pepper.  It’s my version of crack.  I try to stay off the sauce, but some days you just gotta have what you gotta have.

How do you deal with those days?