I have repeatedly been asked by people how I ‘accepted’ my chronic illness? Actually accepting and getting to acceptance are two enormously different things! I used to think acceptance was an ongoing process. Now, I’m not so sure. If you are in a race, and you cross the finish line, you are done with the race. Right? When you are diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and you tell the first person you run into that you have fibromyalgia, you have accepted that diagnosis of fibromyalgia. You may be in disbelief, but you’ve been “tagged” so to speak.
- Accepting our illness doesn’t mean we no longer seek additional knowledge and help.
- Accepting our illness doesn’t mean we stop trying to live a better life.
- Accepting is a verb, it is the action we take when changing our thought process realizing we are not the same person we used to be.
When I was able to say that I had honestly accepted my Fibromyalgia Syndrome, things I tolerated, I no longer could. I used to argue and fight and scream every day at my illness. I learned to become quiet. Instead of despising my situation, I learned to be content in it. I finally understood the value of my energy. Things that are not deserving of my precious energy, time, and focus are gone, removed from my life. Fibromyalgia is not a game I play, it is not a lifestyle, it is not to be a friend or an enemy … it just is.
I had to reach a level of honesty about my illness, and as I dealt with the honesty, I went through a grieving period for the old me and what my dreams were. I systematically said goodbye to the hopes and plans I previously had in my life. They no longer fit me. Honesty brings us the ability to accept our illness, but there is serious work we must accomplish before we can claim the acceptance ticket.
I like my life, and I like this new me. I am kind, have empathy for others, a sense of humor, patience, and I love with my whole heart. I have discovered new things to do that I enjoy! I found a fantastic new tribe of friends and love my forever, best friend Holly more for sticking by me through all of this. I strive to be an even better friend to her. I am capable of being a good partner, and I love my husband. So, this new Kim is not who I wished for, hoped for, or ever thought I’d meet, but here I am. I claimed my acceptance ticket!
Live your best life!
~Kim
You have a great attitude and I bet that you inspire many others to stay positive in their journey as well. ❤
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Kim I cannot thank you enough for all you do. You are amazing.
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Glad to hear I am helping someone! You, Jennifer, are very welcome and thank you for being such a positive advocate for invisible illnesses. -Kim
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Reblogged this on I Tripped Over a Stone and commented:
This is a difficult topic. Acceptance. I wanted to share my thoughts with you once again in this post from January 2017. It still holds true!
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So well said! Thank you for sharing😊 And, my story is similar. I would not have chosen this but I like my life now, said goodbye to what I thought it was going to be and moved on to what I have made it now.
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You are ‘living your best life!’ Thank you for commenting and life can be good even while we life with this little monster, fibro!
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Thank you Kim for such an uplifting post. I am still working on the acceptance part………
Bless you!
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Wendi, everyone needs time. Time to fight, time to grieve, time to get comfortable with their illness. It is chronic. It is not going anywhere. Acceptance will help you live within the parameters of your limitations. You will live your best life! Just give it time. I so appreciate your honesty, this is a tough step to get to, it is the 7th stage of fibromyalgia. Be patient. 💜
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I so very much for you taking the time to leave such a helpful comment. I was afraid to admit that I am not there yet so thank you for understanding and cheering me on. I deeply appreciate you! 🙂
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Awe. Thank you Wendi! This isn’t a contest. We are where we are. Life happens. You need to take your time. You, my friend, are doing great!😊
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a big sincere thanks from the bottom of my heart………you rock! 🙂
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True acceptance is hard to get to, and sometimes you have to do it over and over. It’s beautiful when you get there though.
Love ya..w
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Very difficult. I agree. And absolutely agree it is beautiful once you get there! 💜
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Absolutely outstanding, Kim. Thank you. We can all take a lesson from this post. I know I did!!!
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So glad to hear. Thank you, Stacey!
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Just found your blog. Been struggling with progression of allergic asthma and reaccepting the necessity of my panic disorder meds for the millionth time. Thanks for this. It helps so much to know someone else understands.
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Hey Deb! Awe man. That sucks about your progressive asthma. You get to be upset, even if you have accepted your diagnosis! It is allowed, even encouraged. Panic Disorder meds… they are VERY necessary… all meds are necessary until they are not. So we try once in awhile just to see… and we are usually wrong. A for effort? Nope, it’s not a good idea but I’ve done it 1,000 times with my Zoloft. Now, you couldn’t pull them out of my cold, dead, hands!!! Give yourself a break! We are in this for the long haul. Learn what you need to and let the rest go! I’ll be rooting for you Deb!
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