Focus and Distraction: Managing Mine

Focus and Distraction:  do those words feel familiar?  Oh yes, I purposely used the word "feel", because I
have been dealing with this today, yesterday, the day before, etc., etcetera.  I feel sure you understand, and I realized it is making me more fatigued than I need to be.  The neat thing is that God answered prayer for me today;  and in the doing of following His path for me, I am finding direction.

One of the things that has been bothering me is having five blogs and two Facebook pages.  For someone that has ME/CFS among other illnesses that sounds plain crazy.  And maybe, I was feeling a little guilty:  it's the perfectionist thing kicking in.  I can't spread myself around that much.


I was wondering how I got myself into this, and I remembered that I was called.

Today, God helped me to see that by answering a prayer for me.  (He tells us in the Bible to bring all our cares and anxieties to Him.)  This afternoon, the answer was in the things I read, and I it was also brought to me by a member on one of my Facebook pages.  I am thankful God cleared up my lack of focus and the distractions with which I've been dealing;  moreover, I am absolutely amazed at how the picture of what I'm supposed to be doing is clearing up.  I feel as if I have been looking through a fogged window, and I now I can see the landscape before me.

I feel relief.  With all that is in me, I am thankful to God.

Secondly, I have been wondering if I should combine blogs, go to Wordpress, get my own domain and combine blogs.  I have that answer for now.  And it goes along with the the acronym, KIS:  keep it simple.

1. It costs money to get your own domain -- can't do that one yet.
2. I am already here, and you know I am here.
3. Blogger is easy to use.
4. Why expend energy on changing something that works.
5. I can share the information for and from Chronic Fatigue and Creative Decluttering here. (Why does this feel like one of those "duh" moments?  After all, having enough energy to clean is something with which people with chronic illnesses struggle.)

I am not going to delete the other blogs, but I am not going to struggle with what to do with them anymore -- at least, not until I am led to do something different, if that ever happens.  This is my plan:

• The two main blogs are Learning to Balance Life Changes and Living Better With An Invisible Illness.  
• Learning to Balance Life Changes will continue to be about information on Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS; dealing with our health, our psychological balance, and our physical issues; and at times I am going to mention how spiritual issues affect our life (because that is who I am).  Also, I plan to incorporate more about the decluttering of our house, our lives, our bodies, as it comes.  Why?  Because these are issues with which many people deal -- not just those with chronic illness.
• Living Better With An Invisible Illness has become a mixture of a devotional blog, a book and blog review, as well as, sharing how art journaling can be a healing tool.
• Deborah Lynne's Inspirations is going to be mostly creative things that I share on Pinterest -- DIY, up-cycling  art, etcetera.  I haven' t had much time to do that lately, because I have been floundering.
• Saying Bye to Clutter is my photo journal for decluttering.  I don't post everyday.  I accumulate pictures, then I post.  This is a fun thing for me, and I am interested to see how I feel after having posted 365 days of clutter gone.  The inspiration to keep doing it is useful too.  
• Take Comfort has been a blog of short devotions, that I began to minister to those that cannot concentrate on long Bible studies and devotionals.  Occasionally, I will do a short Bible Study to add to the collection, but lately, my devotional writing has taken a trip to Living Better With an Invisible Illness.  For right now, I think I am supposed to do it that way.   

For now, that is it.  I will be reworking my links and pages during the next few days.  But right now, I need to give my derriere a rest.  I have been sitting too long.  Also, I have some decluttering to do.  I wonder if I could convince my husband hamburgers are a good idea tonight.  I forgot to defrost something for supper.

I love you all.  If this is too long, I am so sorry.  I have become very conscious about that lately, especially since I have been reading many blogs.  My brain can only seem to take in so much; but also, I don't think our eyes were meant to stare at a computer screen for hours at a time.  See you later.

New Blog Look - Calming

Are you wondering about the new blog look?  Are you thinking it's strange I changed it again -- that I even took off the header I loved?  Let me tell you why.

Last night, I wrote about hypervigilance and the aggravation of too much light and noise coming into the brain of ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients.  I didn't say that this also happens to people who have Fibromyalgia.  I have been diagnosed with both;  and for the first time ever, it hurt my head to look at those bright colors and polka dots.  It was just too weird.  I love bright colors and quiet blues.  I enjoy the spectrum of colors, but my head felt like it was getting tighter and tighter as I saw the polka dots and the bright orange and pink.  I tried quieting it down, widening the sidebars and page, but nothing worked.

Therefore, I used this watercolor I had painted to give me a quiet background.  I tried some nature photos, but then I decided original would be nice.  The point is that the quietness of the blues were calming to my eyes and brain.  I could not read anything on the orange and focus, but I could with the blue.

Do you notice colors affect you?  Are some colors overstimulating at times?  I would love to hear what you think.

To read more about Hypervigilance in Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue patients, read Adrienne Dellwo's blog. 

Sandpaper on the Brain

Image Courtesy of [Idea go] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I felt very off yesterday. 
I was having symptoms of noise sensitivity;  and my husband suggested I get off the computer because of the light.  Usually, I can block a certain amount of sound, but I felt bombarded.  I went out on the porch, and the birds sounded loud to me.  I had to turn off our little fountain, because the water was like sandpaper on my brain.

Hypersensitivity to noise and light is an annoying symptom of Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS.  I haven't quite figured out what triggers my symptoms.  Have you?

These kinds of sensitivities can be found in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder too.  It is also called Hypervigilence Syndrome.  Could it be some of the same changes that occur in the brains of people who struggle with PTSD  also occur in the brains of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?  For those of us that deal with this, whether it is all the time or when something triggers it, we must find solutions that help these areas of our brain to calm down, because it often seems to affect how our whole body feels.  It is an uncomfortable feeling to feel like your nerves are jittery.  They actually feel as if they are moving inside of your body.  I have heard this described as the heebie jeebies, having the jitters, one's skin is crawling, and one's nerves are on end.  

Sometimes, you can get away from the light source or noise to rest, and that helps.  Sometimes, it just seems more irritating to be still, because your nerves feel like they are moving inside your body.  Visualization exercises can be helpful.  And some people can distract themselves by reading, but only if they can focus.  Some doctors will dispense anti-anxiety medication for the times you cannot find relief.  

Something, that has helped me in the past is taking Omega 3 rich fish oil, which is something I have gotten out of the habit of doing.  I got so busy, I began to tire of getting together my weekly supplements.  Maybe, I should be taking it again.  What works for you?

Positive Weekend

Image and Words by D. Bolton