Pain days

Greetings, my fellow spoonies, chronic pain warriors, and spoonie writers.

I’d kindly wish you a “good pain day,” but as a fellow spoonie, I know what an oxymoron that is.

Good pain days are to us spoonies what a winning hand of Texas Hold em’ is to a gambling addict; most often an omen of darker times to follow.

If childbirth is a “10” on a scale of 1-10, I can honestly say I average between a 6-9.

On days when I feel my best–a 6 or 7–I tend to overdo things and feel even worse in the days to follow.

This is common to us spoonies. We appreciate our good days to the point of harming our already suffering bodies!

So what can we do to prevent backlash from our malfunctioning meatsuits on these days of tolerable pain and blahness?

Here are my tips:

Keep Your Usual Limits in Mind: It’s tempting on these “good” days to cram everything we need to get done for the week (month, or year) into a single day, but anyone’s who’s tried it can tell you, it can lead to many days of misery. Sometimes more.

Keep a Journal: I like to write my daily accomplishments in a day planner. Everything from: took a shower, made lunch, wrote 1000 words, watched YT video on marketing, and made an important phone call, is jotted down. On my better days, I read the things I’ve done on my cruddiest days and take it up a notch, but just a notch. If I managed to write 800 words on a day with a moderate migraine, mild nausea, and mild-to-moderate fibro aches and fatigue, I know I can write at LEAST 1200 words without completely wearing myself out on a 6-7 pain day. This ‘system’ can be applied to nearly anyone with chronic illness(es) who has a hobby or beloved distraction from pain. If you love to read, read a few chapters more–better yet, leave a review for books you’ve already read! If you crochet and typically produce a pair of booties on a bad pain day, aim for a scarf on good pain days. Love TV on your worst pain days? Try starting a TV-related blog on one of your better days… The possibilities are endless.

Learn Something New. There are days where even though my pain is more tolerable than usual, I just don’t have the oomph to work on my writing. On these days, I watch YT Vlogs about any and everything related to writing, editing, proofreading, building an author platform, and marketing I can get my hands on. I often do this on bad pain days, as well. If you aren’t a writer, maybe learning a new language in easily digestible lessons would interest you (free apps like Duolingo are invaluable). Hate the way your favorite TV show is being written this season? How about giving fan fiction a try? Want to take a class? Udemy and Skillshare have free & affordable classes up the ying-yang on nearly any subject you can imagine, not to mention all the free YT Videos.

Bask in Some YOU Time. If a professional massage and spa day aren’t in your budget, there are TONS of DIY all-natural face and body scrubs videos on YT. If you’re able to get into a bath, a nice long soak in Epsom Salt can work wonders on achy muscles. Have you been wanting to watch a movie but are too worried your pain will distract you from the viewer experience? Watch it today!

Spend Time Socializing. Are there friends and family you’ve been meaning to catch up with? If talking on the phone or meeting for lunch is still too much on your good days, sending a message on social media, an email, or text is a great way to check in with those you are usually too exhausted or feel too crappy to stay in touch with. This will remind them that you still care and are still around, and with any luck, remind you that you have a support system.

I’m grateful for these good days, as are most of us, but not using them wisely can strip these days and/or moments of their incomparable beauty and much-appreciated mercy.

As long as we keep what works for us in mind (as I try to do with these 5 bits of advice), there’s no need to trade a day of semi-normalcy for days upon days of agony and mind-numbing fatigue. Yes, we should be grateful for each and every moment of relief, but cheering too wildly and carelessly, tends to lead to longer-and-longer periods of recovery.

How do you manage YOUR “good” pain days?

Are you an over-doer?