A Christmas In Denial

I remember one Christmas Eve when I had been invited to a neighbor’s house for Christmas Eve potluck…AND I was expected at my sister’s house for a Christmas brunch the next morning. At that point in my life I was in denial, still believing that I could do anything that I wanted while ignoring the messages my body was sending me in the form of pain and fatigue.

 

 

I was also feeling extremely overwhelmed, which was my usual reality since my big car accident AND the onset of fibromyalgia. Since fibromyalgia had entered my life, I continuously ran behind schedule and I wasn’t able to get everything done as I would have liked. And today was no different…I still had errands to run and gifts to wrap.

So I pushed myself to go to the store to pick up some last minute gifts and the ingredients for a dessert that I planned to make. When I got home I made the dessert and put it in the oven. Then I began to wrap gifts.

Of course being a perfectionist did not make life any easier, plus it was painful bending over to wrap gifts. It got to a point where I was so exhausted from running around, putting pressure on myself to get everything done, and being angry at my body for being in pain, that I began to doze off while wrapping gifts.

All of a sudden it hit me that I couldn’t stay up for one more minute, and I barely made it to my bed before I collapsed.

That night I slept for 18 hours!
I missed my neighbor’s party, AND I did NOT wake up the next morning. By the time I got to my sister’s house, brunch was long over and it was late afternoon. Most of the gifts had been opened (except for mine) and a good portion of the guests had already left! I was extremely frustrated with my body, and I swore that it would never control me again…that I would prevail the next time!!!

When I look back on situations like this, I realize how I was fooling myself. I wanted to be “normal” again and thought that I could just will it to be so. It took several more years of fighting my body before I realized that what I was doing just wasn’t working! That new understanding made all the difference for me, because it started me on my journey to find freedom from fibromyalgia.

Now that I am in charge of my symptoms and get to enjoy the holiday festivities once again, I am passionate about helping other women with fibromyalgia, like you, do the same.

LESSONS LEARNED FROM MY CHRISTMAS IN DENIAL

I would have done things differently if I had learned the lessons below before that Christmas:

     1. To Prioritize My Time: I would have bought a pre-made dish for potluck instead of spending the time and exerting the energy to make one from scratch.
     2. To Make Wise Choices: I would have realized that I only had the energy to attend one event, because they were so close together. At least then I would have been able to enjoy that one activity, instead of missing both.
     3. To Not Be Ruled By Perfectionism: If I had let go of being perfect, I would have exerted less energy trying to make sure the edges were all straight and the ribbons were all perfect when wrapping the gifts.
     4. To Get Support: I could have asked friends or family for help wrapping the gifts and I could have learned all the above invaluable lessons just by working with a life coach sooner, rather than later.

Find out how to create more ease and enjoyment this holiday season. Be my guest on my upcoming complimentary webinar, “5 Ways To Ease Your Pain And Fatigue So You Enjoy The Holidays” – so rather than fatigue taking over and missing out (like I did) – you get to participate in and enjoy the upcoming holidays.

Be sure to put the date on your calendar right now:
     DATE: Thursday, December 8, 2016
TIME: 2:00pm EST (GMT-5:00) US and Canada

And don’t forget to sign up at this link: www.IntuitWisdom.com/webinar so we can send you the details for accessing the webinar. I look forward to seeing you there!

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It was the year I missed Christmas…

About 10 years ago, when symptoms of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue ran my life, I went to my mother’s house for Christmas Eve. My family was all gathered there and enjoying the feast, but I was feeling tired – so tired that my head almost fell into my plate.

I was so embarrassed. I jerked my head up but no matter what I did, I just could not stay awake. I had to get up from the table and barely made it to the living room couch before I passed out from fatigue.

Christmas went on around me…my family’s great conversations and laughter at the post-feast of amazing desserts, my uncle playing on the keyboard, and everyone singing Christmas carols, all except for me!

I was out cold on the couch for the rest of the night.

That’s when I knew…NO MORE!!! I wasn’t going to miss out on another holiday, another family gathering, another anything. I committed to doing whatever it took to take charge of my symptoms and take back my life. And I did!

I spent the next 5 years and tens of thousands of dollars in my search for anything that would make an impact on my symptoms of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. And this investment of time and money paid off!!! I am now in charge of my symptoms and get to enjoy the holiday festivities once again.

And that’s why I’m so passionate to share my tips and tools with you in my upcoming webinar, “5 Ways To Ease Your Pain And Fatigue So You Enjoy The Holidays.” This is my gift to you – so rather than fatigue taking over and missing out (like I used to) – you get to enjoy the upcoming holidays.

So be sure to put the date on your calendar right now:
DATE: Thursday, December 8, 2016
TIME: 2:00pm EST (GMT-5:00) US and Canada

I’m creating this free training specifically for women, like you, with fibromyalgia.

You won’t want to miss this! Join me and learn how you can enjoy the festivities and connect with your family again…singing along with them!! 🙂

Sign up Here: Webinar

Warmly,
Whitney

P.S. I would love to hear your thoughts. Please comment below.

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