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Update on my 2019 Reading Goals
It’s (somehow!) already June, so I’m posting an update on my reading goals now that the year’s hit the halfway mark. As I blogged about earlier, this is my first year setting reading goals for myself. If you’ve set goals too, I’d love to hear about it!
I’ve been a little hit or miss on my goals so far (I’m going to blame brain fog at least in part for that. You’ll see I completely forgot about one of my goals below!) There’s still plenty of time to work on my goals over the next six months, so I’m glad I’m reviewing them now. Summer seems like the perfect time to dive right into this list and be a little more intentional about reading.
(If you haven’t set reading goals for 2019, why not set some now? Or set some for the summer?)
Here’s the progress I’ve made so far.
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Review: I tried a movie theater with recliners because of my chronic health conditions
I FINALLY got to see Avengers: Endgame a few weeks ago!
(Don’t worry, this post is spoiler-free!)
I’ll share what I thought of trying a movie theater with recliners for the first time, as well as some tips for going to the movies with dysautonomia, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and other chronic illnesses.
I had been wanting to see Endgame for weeks, having waited a whole year after that cliff hanger. I was carefully avoiding spoilers in conversations and online. (I had to quit Pinterest after seeing two spoiler-y things. And I’m glad I didn’t look up the meaning of two things I saw on Facebook—I figured they were Marvel-related, and after seeing the movie, I’m so glad I didn’t, because they were indeed spoilers!)
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How to Benefit from Organizing When You Have No Energy
Sometimes I just want to go on an organizing or cleaning spree. I’m one of those people who gets an inordinate amount of satisfaction from tidying things up and putting things in order. I love the feeling of looking around and seeing everything tucked away where it belongs—it’s like a puzzle piece clicking into place. An organized space helps me to feel accomplished, refreshed, and peaceful. When I need to de-stress, organizing is actually very relaxing.
I would very much love to benefit from organizing, but my energy level simply says “no.” My chronic health conditions mean I burn out super easily—something as mundane as taking a shower or sitting at my computer for 20 minutes can make me feel as if I ran a marathon.
I was super bummed to think I’ve lost a major way to de-stress that I depended on. Now more than ever, I could use some tried and true ways to decompress!
So instead of throwing out organizing, I’m rethinking it. How can I still benefit from tidying even though my energy is nonexistent? I’ve thought of some ideas to share with you.
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Interesting Around the Web – May 2019
I’m going to try a new post style and gather together some of the links that have caught my attention recently. Here’s what I’ve discovered while browsing blogs and articles.
May is #MEawareness month, so in honor of raising awareness for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (also called Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or abbreviated ME/CFS) my links for this month are focused on this illness, as well as tips for living well with debilitating fatigue. This is one of my chronic health conditions, and hopefully raising awareness will lead to further research, understanding, and—eventually—an affective way to treat this condition.
10 Low activity creative hobbies forspoonies
(A Journey Through the Fog)
“Creative hobbies do not have to be difficult. Many of us lack the confidence to start, but something as simple as colouring is a great, therapeutic and low energy way to express our creativity.”
11 Benefits of Living with Chronic Illness & Autoimmune Disease
(Healthy Habits Reset)
“If you’ve ever experienced chronic fatigue, you know that there are no words (at least in the English language) that could possibly encompass all that is: chronic fatigue.”
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May 2019 Musings – Regrouping, Investigating, Boosting, Setting & Reviving
I’m excited to participate in A Chronic Voice’s link up for the first time! Link up parties are a fun way for bloggers to connect and write about similar themes, and this one is geared towards those of us in the chronic illness community. I’ve never had a chance to participate in one before, so I’ve been eager to give it a try. Let me know what you think of this style of post in the comments.
The themes for this month are Regrouping, Investigating, Boosting, Setting and Reviving.
It was a nice change to have guidelines “assigned” for writing a blog post. (I think Andy Warhol was onto something about having a “boss on retainer.” Having the framework for a post given to me felt a little more structured—like having a boss vs. winging it on my own.)
So, using A Chronic Voice’s five writing prompts for this month as a jumping off point, here’s what has been going on with me lately.
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Why I’m Taking A Mini Blogging Break
Hello readers! I wanted to let you know that I’m going to take the next two-three weeks away from my blog.
I have upcoming ideas I’m excited to share with you, but first, I need to have a little down time.
I realized this is a needed break for my health. My body is having trouble adjusting to the fact that I had to stop a treatment that my doctor no longer provides, so I need to look into some other ways to support my pain and fatigue. Also, I’m hoping to start a detox, which my doctors have warned me will likely increase my exhaustion, so I want to give myself some space to get through that. I’m really hopeful I’ll see a benefit from this treatment.
Also, I’ve found that blogging has taken up all the time I have for creative pursuits, so I want to take some time to switch things up and pursue some things I haven’t had the time for. (And I’ll share about those fun things with you all!)
I look forward to catching up with you all soon!
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My List of Little Joys – April 2019
Here is my latest list of little joys, part of my effort to focus on the things that I am thankful for and to remember all the little moments in life worth celebrating.
Knowing I’m going to be recording things that make me feel more joyful has helped me to keep up with my goal of gratitude journaling, and journaling in general, more often.
I honestly needed this practice in place over the last couple months. I’ve faced quite a few health setbacks recently, including a sinus infection, an injury, reacting badly to a new medicine I tried, and having to stop a treatment that was helping me, plus worsening insomnia due to tachycardia. Whew, it’s easy to get bogged down and overwhelmed when you see a lot of things going wrong, and it’s easy to dwell on them. Keeping track of little joys has helped me to see that there is more to my reality than just the problems I’m facing. There are lots of reasons to smile, laugh, and enjoy life, even during rough times.
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Reflections on Easter – A Collection of Quotes
As Good Friday and Easter weekend approach, I wanted to share some quotes about Jesus’ resurrection that have stood out to me lately.
I hope these beautiful reminders of the meaning of Easter encourage you today!
This post contains affiliate links.
“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.”
—1 Peter 1:18-21 NIV
