{"id":1529,"date":"2015-01-27T19:17:48","date_gmt":"2015-01-27T19:17:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=1529"},"modified":"2015-01-27T19:17:48","modified_gmt":"2015-01-27T19:17:48","slug":"chronic-pain-and-illness-how-we-do-it-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/01\/chronic-pain-and-illness-how-we-do-it-all.html","title":{"rendered":"Chronic Pain and Illness: How We Do It All"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Image<\/a>
Image courtesy of Pixomar\/FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When I talk with people about what I do, their response is frequently, “How do you fit it all into a day?”<\/p>\n

My response, generally, is, “I don’t.”<\/p>\n

The concept of “a day” is very different for those of us with chronic pain and illness. Some 24-hour periods are mostly spent looking forward to the next 24-hour period, when we’ll feel better – well enough to do what we should be doing in the present period but simply cannot.<\/p>\n

Other 24-hour periods are spent picking up the pieces of days when we were too sick or pained to accomplish everything fully. Half-done laundry, for example. Or, that phone call with a friend that was interrupted by severe cramps from holding the phone.<\/p>\n

Quite awhile ago, I realized that it was virtually impossible to think I could live as I did “before lupus,” in that my energy flagged oh, so quickly, if I attempted to sail through a “regular” day. Chores, doctor appointments, errands, social responsibilities – each require a level of attention and energy that are simply too draining if glommed together into one day.<\/p>\n

So, my concept of “doing it all” has become quite different. Meaning…<\/p>\n

I prioritize daily, deciding how I feel, what my level of energy seems to be, and what is most pressing.<\/p>\n

I am forgiving, especially of myself. If I cannot do everything I’d hoped to do, I don’t give myself a personal scolding and I do not allow myself to sink into, “How weak are you?”<\/p>\n

If “big things” are planned, I scrape and claw and resolve myself to do just one, yes, one, in a day, and I allow for recuperation time. (Is this always possible? Well, “things happen,” such as unexpected deaths, illness, or as at the holiday season, jammed calendars. But, I try, oh, yes, I try.)<\/p>\n

Throughout, I try to remember that life is fragile, health is vital, and God’s time is not our time.<\/p>\n

Which works out perfectly for those of us with chronic pain and illness, as “typical” time is not ours, either! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Joy and peace,<\/p>\n

Maureen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I talk with people about what I do, their response is frequently, “How do you fit it all into a day?” My response, generally, is, “I don’t.” The concept of “a day” is very different for those of us with chronic pain and illness. 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She expected to be writing scripts. God had other plans. A few years after her graduation, Maureen was diagnosed with a life-threatening case of organ-involved lupus. Her life turned upside down as she grappled with the effects of the illness and other health conditions that ensued. She was no stranger to serious health challenges; even as a child, Maureen had survived numerous bouts of pneumonia, flu, and other infections. But lupus made her take a fresh look at her life goals - and took herlifelong, strong Catholic Christian faith and writing in a direction she'd never imagined. Today, Maureen writes and speaks about walking with the Lord while living with chronic pain and illness. Her most recent book is \"Don't Panic!: How to Keep Going When the Going Gets Tough (Franciscan Media). She is also the author of, \"Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness\" (Image Books\/Randomhouse), \"Beyond Pain: Job, Jesus, and Joy\" (Twenty-Third Publications), \"The First Year: Hypothyroidism, Second Edition\" (Perseus) and \"Taking Charge of Lupus: How to Manage the Disease and Make the Most of Your LIfe.\" She writes the syndicated column, \"Living Well,\" for Catholic News Service, and has also written for Saint Anthony Messenger Magazine, Journey for Women Magazine, The Upper Room Magazine, LupusNow, and Arthritis Today. Maureen's health continues to be a challenge, however she feels honored to be able to bring her perspective, from experience and knowledge, to others. \"Good Days...Bad Days with Maureen Pratt\" is a new way for Maureen to reach people who carry the burden of illness and pain in their lives, or who care for someone who does. Through the blog, she hopes to bring issues of health, wellness, and spirit into focus and, especially, inspire others that, no matter what health challenges, illness, or hardships they endure, each person can find a good way to realize the wonderful potential God has placed within each heart and soul.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.maureenpratt.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/author\/mpratt"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/548"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1529"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1530,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1529\/revisions\/1530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}