 Seasons greetings ya'll! I wanted to switch things up this week, so instead of a blog I found eleven positive quotes for Fibro butterflies to use in the new year. I hope you'll enjoy them!      Please continue to stay safe purple butterflies! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today! If you’re enjoying my blogs, why not subscribe to my website? My blogs will go straight to your email. It’s free to sign up! Tell your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends!
Till next time! Be well! ~ Rachel
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 Dear purple butterflies, For many of us, around the world we put too much pressure on ourselves to be perfect in every way. Whether you are a girlfriend, mother, father, etc., we tend to put our loved ones before ourselves. It’s human nature. Most of the time we do this when we have a lot on our plate already. When was the last time you had an honest to goodness belly laugh? Whether your answer is last week or last month, remember laughter has always been universal medication. laughter noun
Remember what it was like to laugh so hard that your belly hurt. Your eyes are tearing up to the point it is hard to focus on anything. It is the best feeling in the world. Here’s a bit of laughter trivia for you! Henri de Mondeville, a French professor of surgery (1260-1320) wrote, "Let the surgeon take care to regulate the whole regimen of the patient's life for joy and happiness, allowing his relatives and special friends to cheer him, and by having someone tell him jokes." {Quote reference: Laughter Is A Powerful Medicine}. Norman Cousins (June 24, 1915 – November 30, 1990) was an American political journalist, author, professor, and world peace advocate. During his career, Cousins became quite ill and did extensive research on humor used as medication. "I made the joyous discovery that ten minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep," he reported. "When the pain-killing effect of the laughter wore off, we would switch on the motion picture projector again and not infrequently, it would lead to another pain-free interval." {Quote reference: Norman Cousins and https://www.utmb.edu/gem/pdfs/laughter.pdf - Pg. 41 Laughter, The Internal Medicine}. His struggle with that illness and his discovery of laugh therapy is detailed in his 1979 book Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient. Laughter has been shown to increase the tolerance of pain, and although unsubstantiated, it is commonly held that laughter releases endorphins, the body’s natural analgesic. Psychologically, at least, laughter serves as a distraction from pain, and one survey of the nonpharmaceutical management of pain rated laughter as the most effective means of coping with it. Moreover, laughter has a lasting effect. After it has subsided, the good feeling that lingers is one not ordinarily felt after other distractions from pain have abated. Bringing giggles and smiles to kick start your holiday season, may help those low moments we all tend to go through. What helps me is to find a comfortable place in my home and I close my eyes. Making a weekly realistic list of activities that I’d enjoy, helps me stay positive. When you’re laughing and having a good time, it boosts self-confidence. There isn’t time to think about how much pain you’re in. What events did you think of? I’d love to know what you thought of the exercise, and if it helped relieve any stress or pain. Share any experiences you’ve had in the comments down below! Please continue to stay safe purple butterflies! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today! If you’re enjoying my blogs, why not subscribe to my website? My blogs will go straight to your email. It’s free to sign up! Tell your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends! Till next time! Be well! ~ Rachel  Happy Monday ya'll!
When I was a teenager, I would get the occasional blemish, as most young people often do. I remember my friends were very big on laying out by the pool in the summertime and I always opted out of this activity. Being a fair skinned person, I wasn’t too keen on sitting out by the pool, even if we did have suntan lotion on. In addition to that, many members of my family had history of skin cancer, so I wasn’t about to take a chance. It was in my mid-twenties that I noticed a change in my skin. Even with routinely washing my face, I began to break out. Looking back, it was definitely stress related. It’s amazing what stress can do to your body! Since I’ve had such trouble with break outs, I researched for a very long time for a facial wash that can help me. Did you know that some beauty products can be dangerous to your health? I’m so excited to share with you all the treasures I uncovered for this very important subject! The entire month of November is National Skin Care Month in the U.S. Everyone has a face, right? Check out Tips for Prevention - Personal Care Product Tips. They have a great resource of helpful hints and suggestions that everyone can go by! Last, but surely not least, Burt's Bees is the company that I turn to for my facial needs. Their story is quaint and refreshing to read about. I recommend giving their website a glance. Click The Burt's Bees Story to read more about the company. The products I use are:
Please continue to stay safe purple butterflies! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today! If you’re enjoying my blogs, why not subscribe to my website? My blogs will go straight to your email. It’s free to sign up! Tell your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends! Till next time! Be well! ~ Rachel  Dear purple butterflies, Before I get into the meat of my blog this week, how many of you knew that November 18th marks Mickey and Minnie Mouse’s birthday? They’re both going to be 93 years old. To celebrate, I’ll share my experiences of both working and playing at Walt Disney World with Fibromyalgia for me. Back in 2003, I wasn’t aware that I had Fibro. The discomfort I felt in my legs wasn’t quite as bad as it is now. I worked in an area called Animation Courtyard, (at what is now), Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I was a tour guide for The Magic of Disney Animation and One Man’s Dream which meant I had to stand for most of my shift. Typically, this is a requirement for cast members working attractions. The nice thing about those attractions was you were able to sit down in the theatre. As a cast member, it was also my job to pick up trash and make sure everything was neat and tidy. If I worked open to close, I was lucky to be able to walk to my car. At night I would have awful back spasms. It felt like I was being electrocuted. Looking back, I should have quit sooner. Would it have stopped my Fibro from becoming worse? It’s hard to say. I could not get enough of the parks. No matter if I worked a shift, I would play in the park almost every day. Depending on your job, and how often you play, it’s an excellent way to lose weight. Long before I bought my own scooter, I would rent a wheelchair. A lot of the time I would go to the parks alone. It was a struggle wheeling myself around those parks. Believe it or not, some of the nicest people I have ever met were guests willing to help me out. This was true no matter if I was working or visiting a park. I loved coming to a job where you could be a big kid and spread happiness. I do miss being able to go the parks and play when I’m down. It was a great stress release. Through everything, I loved working for the company for seven years. The unique experiences of which I acquired will be with me forever. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today! If you’re enjoying my blogs, why not subscribe to my website? My blogs will go straight to your email. It’s free to sign up! Tell your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends! Till next time! Rachel  Happy Monday ya’ll! While every month brings lots of fun world-wide activities, it has several days of which we can spread awareness for different causes. For example, October 16th marked World Spine Day. The World Federation of Chiropractic work tirelessly with global organizations bringing awareness and raise prevention for future generations to come. Long before I started taking any kind of medication, I remember watching my mom take all of hers. One evening, when I was feeling quite inquisitive, I asked her what she took. One of the pills she told me about was for osteoporosis. Now that I have back troubles, I regret asking her about that pill. Apparently, what we used to think about women and osteoporosis weren’t all true. What Women Need to Know has tons of great information on the risks, your race, when you go through menopause, and more! I have a few more years before I hit menopause, but I still bookmarked this article. To keep the awareness of World Spine Day going, I wanted to add some low impact exercises of my own of which we could all do this day during COVID. I know some of you are going back to the gym, but I also realize there are others who are choosing not to go. I am rather picky when it comes to my exercise choices. I would love to do everything I did in physical education class back in the day. Do they still have exercises during P.E. anymore? Some exercises I found that might be helpful were on Gentle At-Home Exercises for Pain Relief During the Pandemic. Ash Fisher, the writer of the article, seems very down to earth, most importantly cares about her readers! Did you know that about osteoporosis? Were you able to join the millions of others in spreading awareness for World Spine Day? Let me know in the comments below your questions, comments or thoughts! In these uncertain times, please continue to stay safe purple butterflies! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today! If you’re enjoying my blogs, why not subscribe to my website? My blogs will go straight to your email. It’s free to sign up! Tell your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends! Till next time! Be well! ~ Rachel  Dear purple butterflies, No one I’ve ever met has ever liked the idea of war. There are unfortunate situations between countries, or even within their own country, when a war does break out. When this does happen, I’ve always had the greatest respect for those heroes willing to lay their life down for their country. Men and women serve to protect our liberties and way of life. Imagine yourself as a soldier, finally coming home to your family, only to find out during a physical that you have Fibromyalgia and possibly more? When you stop to think about it, the extreme workouts, exhausting training, the heavy equipment hauling, plus the stress and depression of war it’s no wonder their bodies fight back. Two years ago I was blessed with the second chance to give thanks to a vet. We were both standing in line waiting for our coffee at a Starbucks. I’m stubborn by default, quiet and shy to strangers at times. However, I knew this was not the time to be either. I made sure I stuck out my hand and told her I appreciated her and what she was doing. You’d think that more people would thank them as well. Each time I’ve done so, the soldiers have acted like it’s the first time they’ve heard it. Maybe it is? November 11th is Veterans Day in The U.S.A. Below are some facts about the holiday. You'll also find information about a vets struggle with chronic pain:
If you live in the U.S., does your family do anything special for Veterans Day? Let me know in the comments down below if you do! If I have left anything out, or you would like to share a story of a loved who served in the military, feel free to do so!! As always, please continue to stay safe purple butterflies! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today! If you’re enjoying my blogs, why not subscribe to my website? My blogs will go straight to your email. It’s free to sign up! Tell your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends! Till next time! Be well! ~ Rachel |
About the author:Rachel Barclift, has been suffering from Fibromyalgia for many years. She went to the doctor, never finding any answers for years. She went to one doctor who told her the pain was all in her head. In 2011, she finally found a doctor that believed her! She was officially diagnosed by her rheumatologist and she was so relieved! She writes blogs in hopes to help others find positivity. |