What makes my bad days bearable.

Sometimes I spend a lot of time in bed. So I do everything I can in order to make that experience less awful. Along with general acceptance and trying to look at things more positively I'm able to find silver linings in being in bed.

1. I have all my medical things right next to my bed.

I have all my pain remedies and pills, including a big bottle of ginger ale and even a microwave for my heat pack & emergency cup o noodles if I can barely operate my wheelchair to get to the kitchen. I have my laptop charger phone charger and the plug to the lights all within reach. Sometimes I cross posts about how near impossible it is to get medication from another room and I'm like if you’re sick you should always have it on you!  I'm still brainstorming more ways to make my bed more convenient.

2. I open my window

Being in bed for a while can make you feel cooped in and cut off. When I open up my window it's still dark but I can hear my neighbours laugh, the hum of the street cars, the songs of the birds, and the wind and the sun if I can handle the light. Sometimes I will watch the clouds depending on how I am feeling.

3. I have fun things to do.

• Unless it's mandatory that I sleep immediately I may rest in bed and do something while I recover. I keep my laptop & sketch pad on my bed; in one of the pockets I have tape scissors pencil ect. So I can scrapbook and even write about my day, I find it useful to let out what I'm going through as most of my friends/family are healthy and don't understand it even if they are compassionate, it's just a firsthand type of thing. I also have a small bookshelf on my wall and I'm still thinking of more things to keep nearby make being in bed less of a hellish experience. 

• I have video games on my laptop(Windows 10 or 8 ) that have controller simulation, so it's kind of like I have an Xbox on my computer and I don't have to move to play! I currently have Modern Combat 5, Halo Spartans Assault & GT Racing 2.

• I have Skype and can listen to music while talking to friends or even watch makeup videos or movies with them and I don't feel isolated. To add on to that I'm able to distract and sometimes lessen pain by laughing with them...They really don't know how much these calls help me. 

• I use Crackle which is like Netflix but it's free, Sometimes I find myself following a new series or getting captivated by a new movie or something I've always wanted to see, my days don't feel too repetitive. Other times I just play the movie to let my mind wander if I need to rest immediately. I like to use a good quality speaker when I use crackle because it feels sort of theatre like when I do. I do the same with Skype because it feels more real to hear them without earphones

4. Messy buns/pony tails & cute pajamas.

I love fashion, and while I'll throw on something cute when I leave the house I'm at home most of the time even when I socialize it's usually indoors, so I find not only happiness but a feeling of control over my body when I can dress it how I want to. I'd much rather look good and feel bad than look bad and feel bad. I love the messy bun/ponytail and effortless hair look as well since it's seen as trendy instead of sloppy nowadays. Oh and fuzzy socks!

5. Online Support Groups

I'm able to converse with other chronically Ill people of all ages through online support groups and realize that someone else is walking through a similar hell and that I'm not alone in this. I can be 100% myself, of course being sick is not my identity but it is a huge part of my life. Healthy people just don't take venting about being sick the same way. Even if you’re making a joke about being sick it's not the same. You can toss back and forth chronic illness/pain jokes with other spoonies but with healthy people they are likely to get sad or uncomfortable.

 There are many different types of support groups, I've seen some that are in forum format, social media format, chat rooms, I believe once I even saw one that was a phone conference type thing and I believe there are some out there that are hybrids of virtual and physical. If you'd like a recommendation you can send me a message.

 If it takes you a long time to find an online support group it's totally okay. It took me forever to find some I felt right at, I needed more support about my experience but some groups just talked almost solely about medications and that didn't really help me. But once I finally found them, I cannot begin to tell you how relieved I was.

So my bed hugger (Not ridden) babes make your stays in bed however long they are as rad as possible!