I have the high honor of being nominated for The Disability Blogger Award by Georgina from Chronillicles. This award is to give a deserving nod to those bloggers that blog about their chronic illness, mental illness or special needs. I agree with Georgina that these bloggers don’t get enough recognition as they are fighting a whole separate battle while finding time to write about it. These blogs help so many people and often are a source of community and support for those that may not have received either without them.
FibroMomBlog articles can be found here:
Questions from Georgina
Why did you decide to start blogging and why did you decide on your niche?
Blogging is something I had been considering. I even started a free wordpress blog, but then never used it. I came across an ad for a free webinar on starting your own blog. Of course, the free webinar was super basic so I ended up paying for the course that walked you through actually setting up your blog. This is how it began for me.
I had been very ill for about 6 months and I was trying to come to terms with what was happening to my body and my mind and all the emotions that came with that. I’ve always enjoyed writing and I thought this would be a good outlet for me while also possibly helping others. Helping other people makes me feel good and when you are always feeling horrible finding what makes you feel good and doing it, is important!
What are your top 5 tips on coping with your illness/disability?
To be honest, I am still learning every day on this one. The number one thing that has been getting me through is the love and support of my husband. Since not everyone has that I will do my best to give the top 5 things that have helped me in no particular order.
- Meditation and deep breathing exercises. When you have chronic pain sometimes you feel like you just can’t take another second. I have even thought about how death might be better than this. However, that is when I would really be mindful and clear my mind. The deep breathing has been a life safer on days at work when the pain gets bad.
- CBD oil has also been something I have been using to cope. It has helped increase my energy and has an effect on my pain as well.
- Exercise just recently has become something I have been able to incorporate into my daily life. It really has increased my energy and just makes me feel good overall! I haven’t noticed any change in the pain though, in fact it sometimes feels worse but you can’t have everything I guess.
- Learning how and when to spend my “spoons” has been an important coping skill that I am still working on. I am learning how many spoons each activity will cost me and be able to judge what activities are most important to me. This is so important because it allows me to still be able to live my life in some capacity.
- Find support either from family or friends. In addition, it helps so much to reach out to others also going through the same hardships. I can’t tell you how many friends I have made and we don’t all have the same illness but we can find comfort in each other.
Where would your dream holiday be and why?
I have been a parent my whole adult life, seriously. Most of my vacations have been to places that the whole family would like to go. So, if I could go anywhere it would be somewhere tropical, remote but no too remote. I don’t want too much agenda, just relaxation and being able to do what I want when I want. A beach is preferable as I love to hear the sound of the waves.
Are you an early bird or night owl?
So this is a tricky question. With Fibromyalgia I can’t always sleep and then I’m a night owl but not because I want to be. For a few months I had a severe case of restless leg syndrome which made sleep almost impossible. On the flip side, I hate getting up early but I love being up early. Confused? Yeah that is my life, confusing. I enjoy being up early before the sun comes up, having a cup of coffee and writing or reading by myself.
What is your go-to comfort food?
The first food that comes to mind when I think of comfort food is mashed potatoes. I love them so much, I’m pretty sure they contributed to me getting fat. The other comfort food is for sure chocolate, it fills my soul with joy.
What is your favorite movie or TV series?
I don’t know that I have a favorite because there are too many to choose. Currently, my must see TV shows are Seal Team, SWAT, Walking Dead, Big Bang Theory and Blue Bloods.
Which is your favorite social media site/app and why?
This is a tough one to choose because I get something from each.
- Pinterest is all about driving traffic to my blog. Instagram is where I bond with my fellow spoonies.
- Facebook has recently been good to me because I started a Facebook support group The Chronically Strong Warriors and in doing so have grown my own FB page and found many new friends.
- Twitter is the one place where I can do it all. I bond with fellow bloggers, chronic illness warriors, moms and dads and just regular people. I can post pictures, videos or just text. Twitter makes it easy to share others posts and grow quickly; it is just a one stop shop for all and I love it.
Now for my nominees for the disability blogger award
My questions for my nominees
- What has been an unexpected occurrence from starting your blog?
- Is there any advice you have for someone with a chronic illness that wants to start a blog?
- What are some ways that you try to inspire others?
- Do you have a flare or self-care kit? If so, what is in it? If not, why not?
- Is there something you do to take your mind off your illness?
Rules for the disability blogger award:
- Thank your nominator
- Recognize Georgina from Chronillicles as the creator of the award and include her link https://www.chronillicles.com
- Use logo somewhere in the post
- Answer your nominator’s questions
- Write 5-15 of your own questions – they don’t have to be illness related!
- Nominate 5-15 other disability, chronic illness, mental illness or special needs bloggers Comment on each of your nominees’ latest posts to tell them they have
Hi! This was a really interesting read, especially about all your tips. They’re going to help so many people! I’m also neither an early bird nor a night owl; maybe a permanently exhausted pigeon? ? Also, The Big Bang Theory is the best!!
I loved reading this! Georgina from Chronillicles ?
LOL – I love it a permanently exhausted pigeon! That is great. Thank you so much for every thing girl!
Congratulations on getting the award. I love that we have so much support from each other.
Thank you and me too! Congratulations to you as well!