{"id":1764,"date":"2015-08-10T19:51:39","date_gmt":"2015-08-10T19:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=1764"},"modified":"2015-08-02T20:05:38","modified_gmt":"2015-08-02T20:05:38","slug":"chronic-pain-far-from-the-maddening-crowd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/08\/chronic-pain-far-from-the-maddening-crowd.html","title":{"rendered":"Chronic Pain: Far from the Maddening Crowd?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Image<\/a>
Image courtesy of Ambro\/FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

No, it’s not a typo. I know that the book and movie are called, “Far from the Madding Crowd.” But this post is about us and groups – when we find ourselves in a crowd and it’s maddening for us because, well, if many individuals do not understand what it’s like to have chronic pain, crowds can be absolutely clueless!<\/p>\n

Besides the jostling, bumping, and elbowing that occurs when crowds are on the move, there can be a tremendous sense of isolation when crowds are confined to one place. Recently, I was in a large room where there was a large crowd. I happened to see an older woman sitting alone in a chair along one of the walls. I went over to her, and the first thing she said was, “I don’t like noise, and I don’t like crowds.” Clearly, she wanted to be at the event, but the circumstances were, at best, a difficult challenge.<\/p>\n

As I have said many times, even if we have health issues that hobble us, we are still meant to be part of the world, including the world outside our protective walls. So how, then, can we better manage being in those often-maddening crowds?:<\/p>\n

Bring an advocate with you. This is someone who can run interference for you as you move about in the crowd, and also help navigate food tables, restroom lines and other challenges.<\/p>\n

Investigate getting a disability-accommodating seat at an event such in a concert hall or arena. Often these are more protected than general seating arrangements.<\/p>\n

Save an extra seat so that those who wish to can sit beside you and talk. When a crowd is noisy, it’s very easy to strain you neck and voice trying to talk with someone while you are sitting and they are standing.<\/p>\n

Bring some kind of visual “prop” that indicates you might need a wider berth. I have terrible arthritis in my knees, and it is impossible for me to negotiate stairs. But otherwise, my disability is invisible – unless I have a cane (which I do bring while traveling through crowded locales, such as airports).<\/p>\n

Avoid standing or sitting near a restroom door or hallway, buffet table or the trash recepticle because there will be more foot traffic there.<\/p>\n

Pactice what you’ll say if someone refuses to move out of your way or otherwise denies you an accommodation for your disability (especially if it’s invisible). This will help you not respond in heated anger, but rather advocate for yourself firmly and precisely.<\/p>\n

When you enter a room, immediately note where the exits are and try to remain closeby one of them. In an emergency, a crowd can surge and become potentially harmful, and it is usually better to be near an exit so you can leave more quickly, ahead of the “mob.”<\/p>\n

These are just a few of the things that I’ve found helpful. You might have some of your own, which I invite you to share!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Peace,<\/p>\n

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

No, it’s not a typo. I know that the book and movie are called, “Far from the Madding Crowd.” But this post is about us and groups – when we find ourselves in a crowd and it’s maddening for us because, well, if many individuals do not understand what it’s like to have chronic pain,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":548,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,360,43,1242],"tags":[1853,1852,1855,1854,1851],"class_list":["post-1764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chronic-pain-and-illness","category-determination","category-encouragement-in-life","category-food-for-thought","tag-chronic-illness-and-crowds","tag-chronic-pain-and-crowds","tag-crowds-and-you","tag-navigating-crowds","tag-tips-for-being-in-crowds"],"yoast_head":"\nChronic Pain: Far from the Maddening Crowd? - Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/08\/chronic-pain-far-from-the-maddening-crowd.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chronic Pain: Far from the Maddening Crowd? - Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"No, it’s not a typo. 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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\/1764","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=1764"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1764\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1765,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1764\/revisions\/1765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}