Everybody’s happy! Everybody’s active! Everybody’s…NOT!

When you don’t feel well, the struggle to make something, anything, good of a day can be exhausting and frustrating and, well, quite frankly, impossible. And yet, between those who say, “You have to have a positive attitude,” and those who declare, “It’s all in your mind,” you might feel as if the inability to lift your mood and get on with life in an uplifting manner is a huge failure on your part. And that feeling of unworthiness might sink you even lower.

Yes, the struggle to have a good day can be frightfully challenging and, I dare to posit, completely unproductive.

There will be days that just start off wrong and go downhill from there. There will be days when, despite our best efforts, we bungle the simplest of things and can’t even begin with the more complex tasks.

There are some days when stepping outside takes a herculean effort that saps us of all other energy.

As one who’s fought the very good fight for years, I have learned more than once that struggling through a day when pain is high and illness is flaring can bring more pain and certainly more frustration. So, I try to remember, on a bad day, sometimes the best thing is just to relax and let it unfold. Rest and let laundry or errands wait another day. Take care so that we may prepare for a better day tomorrow or the next.

Being kind to ourselves is not advertised or studied as a remedy for the illnesses and pain we suffer. But it is important; if we are not kind to ourselves, who else will be? And if we don’t allow our bodies and our spirits to retreat and revive on a “bad day,” when will they?

Blessings for the day,

Maureen