It's a rainy, ugly day here in January.  There's nothing new happening, and my mood has slowed to a gray haze.

The combination of the weather and the season invite me to think about a kick-start.

I wonder if you are running on fumes and need one, too?  When we're living with chronic pain -- and unpredictable physical and emotional challenges -- our reserves get low.  Something as ordinary as bad weather or a demand from our boss or family can send us into a funk.

I've had fun imagining some quick pick-me-ups that we could use -- ideas that can propel us into a little better space and give us some happy energy.

I'm planning on doing one a day for the next week!  Let me know how it works for you.

Shake Up That Routine

Usually I do the same things in the same order every day.  Yes, this saves time.  But the rut I get into has a limited view.  These ideas are small, and may seem silly, but even a little tweak can release a little energy that can build.

• Go a different way to work or school, or on your carpool today.  It takes a little thinking, but that's the idea!  New sights!  Different vantage point!
• Eat something different for breakfast.  I get stuck on my usual -- what if I made a poached egg?  Or had a new kind of fruit?
• Take a class you've never tried.  On my list is tai chi and pilates.  Yours might include bridge, or Spanish dancing, or Thai cooking.  A short-term commitment to an innovative experience can stimulate your creativity.
• Say no to something.  Give yourself some free space.
• Take 15 minutes to daydream.  Most of us push and rush and tick off to do's with no time to let our minds relax and expand.

Physical Comfort

• Bring some fresh flowers into your home.  A flowering plant.  Start some seeds.  Living green presences can lift our hearts.
• Take a dip into a bath (investing in some good smelling oils or bubbles) or go to a sauna.
• New sheets?  A snuggly comforter?  A better reading light?
• Something to look at from your desk or kitchen table that makes you feel happy.
• If you sometimes get a massage, try a different kind.  If you never get a massage or body treatment, this is a great time of year to try something!  Get a referral from a friend.  Some of my clients like the hot wax treatment on their feet.  Reflexology is an easy way to start.

FUN

• Getting yourself in gear to allow something fun.  That can be a challenge when most of life feels like a long slog up hill.
• What unused gift cards do you have lying around?  A restaurant you haven't gone to, some shopping?  You may have a treat waiting for you that you have put off.
• A board game you haven't pulled out in a while, coffee with a friend, going to a movie, allowing yourself to get and read that fun looking best seller -- you have some ideas of your own that you haven't accessed, and this is a chance to let it happen.
• Some of you are creative -- you write or sew or paint or make jewelry -- but your projects are in a closet or heaped up in a corner of the room.  This is the season to bring them out and make some space and time.  Creative pursuits are the elixir of happiness.  Enjoy.

OK, those are my quick start ideas.  It can be hard to move yourself from slug pace towards something that will give you a mental and physical lift, but it's worth it!

Let me know how it goes.

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An article on the psychology blog PsychCentral caught my attention.  I was reading articles about dealing with pain, and they reviewed a new study about how to reduce one's subjective experience of physical pain.

That is a fancy way to remind us that pain is made up of two components -- the  physical sensation of the pain, and then the perception (location and intensity) of the pain.  This study looked at perception, and built on previous research that states that people who are alone experience their pain as more severe than people who are with a loved one (and I assume this means a pet as well as a human).

The new study went a step further to see if the photograph of the loved one could also reduce the perception of pain.

Amazingly, it did!

Those who had a picture to look at while having a stimulation of pain registered less pain than the controls.  The researchers also looked at reaction time, just to make sure it wasn't about distraction.

What they found was that the picture seemed to provide a sense of support -- the reminder of being loved and cared for.  That had a positive effect:  the person experienced pain as less painful than the controls who were alone.

The researchers went on to propose that having a picture of someone you love may be beneficial, especially if you can't have that person with you.

Or if your main support isn't so good at being supportive in person, this is a way to feel that presence without needing them to act a certain way.  They conclude, "And, unlike your partner or family member, a photo can't be in a bad mood!"

Let me know if you have ever experimented with this, and if you find it to be true for you.

The study's information:  Master, S.L., et al. (2009). A Picture's Worth: Partner Photographs Reduce Experimentally Induced Pain. Psychological Science. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02444.x

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When you walk into any store, it is obvious we have slid into that time of year.

The Holidays.

I know, it seems premature to begin addressing that in October!  But Halloween candy, shorter daylight, and decorations in the local Target all suggest to me that it is a good time to prepare for how we want to handle the combination of temptation and deprivation.

The temptations come in the form of eating too much, eating the wrong things, going out to often, and overloading on stressful expectations and events.

The deprivations are giving up exercise or other healthful practices (because "there's not enough time"), losing sleep, and putting your health last instead of first.

"I'll do it once the holidays are over" applies to everything from a doctor's appointment, to keeping better track of medication, to resting.

Here are a few tips to help you prepare mentally for how you want to handle this time.  The result is that you will be more relaxed, more in charge, and able to enjoy all the blessings of the holiday seasons -- from Halloween through New Year's!

Create a game plan.

Although we vow every year to do it differently, most of us get sucked into a whirlwind, primarily because we didn't think ahead of what we wanted to do -- and what we wanted to avoid.

Take a moment and list what are the most difficult aspects of the next six weeks for you.

Then think what are the best.

Compare your lists.  What can you stop doing?  What will be your priority for your time and attention and money?  What is most important to you?  How will you make sure you do that?

Preparation makes a big difference -- and it isn't hard.  Carve out some space and time to think ahead instead of reacting to every phone call, invitation, and request.

Put your health ahead on the list.

Dealing with a chronic and unpredictable illness isn't fun.  It isn't easy either.

But ignoring what you need to do to feel OK only compounds the difficulty.

You deserve to feel your best -- even if that takes time away from other people or projects.  The holidays aren't going to be enjoyable for you if you have exhausted yourself taking care of everyone else's food preferences or last-minute whims.

If exercise helps, don't neglect it.  If you need an afternoon break, don't skip it.  If rich food aggravates your joints, don't have it in the house.

Think about what you need -- and do it.

Practice cutting things out before you add in.

From homemade Halloween costumes, to perfect turkeys, to a gift-buying blitz -- there is a lot of extra pressure.  And for those of you who don't have to run a household, there is still the pressure of the office party, the family expectations, and often the loneliness of everyone else's holiday preoccupation.

Sometimes it's the prospect of spending so much time with your family that send you over the edge.

This season, think what you might eliminate.

How can you slow down and do a little less?  Can you keep your schedule a little lighter and give yourself a little more room?  Can you see only the people who really matter -- and maybe for a shorter burst of time?

Think about eliminating and streamlining.

This season can be magical.  It can also stress your life and aggravate your illness.

You can choose to create the path through the next weeks that works for you -- and supports your health.  As always, it's up to you!

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