Another helpful coping skill involves mindful meditation and surrounding yourself with quiet and serenity. If you are having a rotten day, get away from noise and bustling activity. Grandkids visiting on one of those days? Run away from home for a few hours. Have some alone time in a quite room with peaceful music, take in a movie, or just drive to the beach or other serene, scenic place, if possible.
Mindful meditation just means emptying your mind of all extraneous thoughts, and focusing on your body to help you still the pain. Deep breathing will get you to the right point of concentration. If you haven't mastered this magnificent tool of relaxation yet, give it a try.
Be sure to drink plenty of fluids. Eat regular meals, even if they are small ones, with the right nutritional mix. And be sure to take your medications as prescribed.
Save the multiple projects for the good days that will surely follow the bad ones. It isn't wise to tax your already stressed system by trying to balance too many balls in the air at once. It's hard to juggle one's time and needs, even when you feel pretty good.
Lastly, deal with your bad days by seeking ways of bringing joy into your life. Find things to do that make you laugh. Dr. Bernie Siegel, the author, advises us to handle chronic illness more effectively by creating every opportunity for laughter that we can. It's hard to feel bad when you have tears of laughter rolling down your face! If you find joy in listening to music, let that be your chosen interest for a while. Music can be a wonderful diversion from having to labor for each breath.
And it is helpful to remind ourselves that those elusive good days are not far away. If we can just get past the bad one that looms over us now, things will surely improve.
So grab that favorite pillow, or the teddy bear that you don't let anyone know about, a good book, a funny movie to play on the television, and tuck in for a healing time. Do it before you get those eyes-to-the-ceiling looks from those around you, before you affect their day. Calmly state that you are having a bad day, and hope that present company will accept that. And work to make your life more bearable right then and there!
Here's wishing you far more good days than bad ones!
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