Battling Despair and Depression

With every flare-up, I get overwhelmed with despair.  Having always been an active and vibrant woman, getting knocked on my gluteous maximus on a regular basis is hard to take.  One of the things I've found most helpful is sharing my experience with others in an attempt to help them.  That's my hope with this thread.  I'm going to share some of the things I do to fight against the emotional part of chronic illnesses in the hope of helping some of you (thus helping myself), and if you all share your great tips with me, we'll all benefit.  So...Here's my list

Helping others by sharing things that work for me
Laughing--full-on belly laughs
Prayer and meditation
Positive, uplifting music
Writing out a list of things for which I'm grateful
Surrounding myself with people who tease me
Watching the Cubs win (You cannot IMAGINE the despair I felt when we blew the first round of playoffs!  I was counting on my Cubbies to get me through October!)
Sunshine

Please pass on those things which help you combat these feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and self-pity.  Of all my symptoms, these are the worst.

[Crochetya]

I have found that  being in the moment has helped me. I need to be true to me and that includes taking care of me. I agree with some of your items on your list. I learned not to build up expectations or not to expect at all. This is a set up for disaster.
People I surround myself with are those who take me as I am. I cannot be with my own family. Some of them make me really crazy.
I mean I can't do anything right everything is wrong. They have their expectations and if you don't meet them.You are loaded with negative comments. I have learned to please myself.

[Spaz61]

Thanks.  By "surrounding myself with people who tease me' I mean people who don't let me take myself too seriously or allow me to fall into self-pity.  I have some wonderful friends who really make me laugh.  One of the best suffers from RA, and she is great at helping me to laugh about my illness.  She understands both the difficulty of chronic illness and the importance of laughter.

I'm fortunate to have family who understand.  However, some of my co-workers do not.  In fact, they think my flare-ups are just bids for attention.  It's insulting.  I've found that I just have to act better than I feel at work.  It can be exhausting.

Staying in the moment is such a great strategy...when I can do it!!  It'd hard for me not to get caught up in fear about my future.  I appreciate the suggestion, and I'll add it to my list.

[kiddthekatt]

I've learned that asking for help is ok. Every morning when I wake up I give thanks for another day. I've learned that I can laugh at myself when I put the room spray in the fridge instead of the cabinet, same thing about the ice cream. I have a wonderful family who loves me regardless of the FogBrain mistakes I make and who are willing to walk every step with me if needed. I refuse to let FMS rule my entire life, and joy the sunshine. I take one day at a time...............


gentle hugs
Angel