What's bobbing to the surface in your life?

Starting a blog about coping with chronic health issues suddenly feels like jumping into quite an ocean of possibilities! Just in front of me leap the holidays and all they bring, a bit further out bobs the elusive creature known as self-worth, behind me circle depression and anxiety, and when I shift my gaze suddenly I can see a bright buoy of community support! Wondering which of the many issues we face is most up for you right now?  Here are a number of possibilities to consider:

• Holidays -- Yep, travel, food, family, fatigue and more... What keeps it do-able for you?

• Balancing downtime and creativity -- How can you tell when you really need to stay home and rest, or when you'd get more energy by signing up for a dance class (or whatever your flavor of creativity might be)?

• Chronic health issues as a parent -- When do you put yourself before your kids? Or for those of you with empathic kiddos like mine -- how can we take care of ourselves so they don't have to?

• Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my -- When do the emotional tigers (depression, anxiety, grief and others) rear their heads and what helps you get through?

• Redefining self-worth -- When your life looks different than your neighbor's, how do you value yourself?

• Creating community -- Exploring ways to generate group energy for positive change!

• Opting out of stress addiction -- What does life look like beyond just "getting things done," especially when you just can't do it all?

• Tending to caregiver burnout -- When we need so much, how can we help partners or other caregivers get their needs met too?

• Moving beyond big health scares -- When everything gets turned upside-down, what helps you put one foot in front of the other?

• 10 different ways to ask for help when you'd rather not -- Anyone besides me need some practice with this one?

I'd love your input on which of these, or another topic of conversation, feels most alive and real in your life right now and I'll start paddling that way and see what there is to see as I dive under the surface!

Conversation Starters

A warm hello! I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Sarah, I’m 42 years old, and I have cystic fibrosis.  I want to reach out to everyone living with chronic health conditions in hopes of starting a conversation, and what's up for me right now is how we cope.  How do you cope with chronic pain or illness, fatigue or sensitivities, and with all that comes with them – all the time needed for treatments, the impact on work and relationships, the ups and downs in health and the emotional ups and downs that tag along, sometimes simply getting through the day? What a rollercoaster! I don’t presume to know what’s best for you personally when you’re trying to face decisions about new medical options or alternative avenues of healing.  I’m here in hopes of giving you a space to notice and understand and hopefully get some ideas for navigating what goes on under the surface, in the part of us that can’t be measured by blood tests or treated with antibiotics. I’m here to invite you into conversation about what helps your life work in the big picture, what the hard parts are and what comes easily for you.  I’m all about creative brainstorming together to discover what stops us short, and share what keeps us going.

I bought a t-shirt recently that says “Shine On.” That pretty much sums it up for me. That’s what I’m yearning to make easier for all of us, to bring our real, brilliant selves to the table no matter what’s going on. To learn how to ask for help even when it’s like pulling teeth. To find the golden thread that can pull us up out of the inevitable moments of doubt or depression and remember what lights us up, what brings us joy, what we most want to share during our time here. To enthusiastically, radiantly shine on as who we truly are.

When I meet other people coping with chronic health issues, I’m always struck by their passion to help here – speaking to groups after transplants, tossing around ideas for what would help kids or families with a new diagnosis, becoming athletes to remind us all what is possible. And all those who blog their frustrations and triumphs in an outpouring of human spirit that really bowls me over. We’re a remarkable bunch, I think.

So, when life with chronic health issues hands you lemons, what flavor is your lemonade? What balances out the bitter and sour and rekindles a sweetness, or zest for life? What keeps that inner part of you alive and creative when your body is struggling? I’m excited to explore some of these different threads in future entries, and invite you to please chime in via comments with the topics that you’d like to bring up in the conversation. And I’d love to hear, what flavor is your lemonade today?