A Chronic January~  A Chronic Voice Linkup

I am linking up with A Chronic Voice run by Sheryl Chan.  Sheryl gives us writing prompts for each linkup. This months are Beginning, Symbolizing, Enduring, Revealing and Gracing. Tomorrow is the last day of January 2021.

I am making it into the January linkup just before it ends. It seems just a few weeks ago it was Christmas. Time seems to slip away so easily. I am trying to be more mindful of how I spend my time each day. I still struggle with falling into old habits of spinning in circles getting nowhere fast.  It looks like the last time I was organized enough to link up was October.

Chronic January

During the last several months of the pandemic I put a lot of my medical appointments on hold. I am actually surprised that I have maintained instead of slipping backwards. Well okay I guess I have if I have to be honest. I have put on the weight that I had worked so hard to lose. I guess the difference is now I don’t let focus on my chronic ailments control my day.

I focus on listening to my body and trying to head off any major flares. I am not always as successful as I’d like to be. I have a lot of goals that I had planned to get my health even more improved by changing habits that I have not met. Instead of calling myself a failure I am going to say I am just a work in progress.

January is the month of new beginnings. Though new beginnings shouldn’t be reserved for only January. For some reason the new year is when  we most often focus on getting a fresh start.  We need to remember that each season, month, week or day  is a chance for a fresh start. Heck each new minute is a chance to start over. Why wait until tomorrow?

Beginning De-cluttering Toys:

A big focus for me this month is trying to de-clutter. Clutter leads to chaos in my brain as well as overwhelm. It doesn’t help that I have a tendency to be a pack-rat. My focus right now is de-cluttering the toys that are piled up in several areas of the house. I plan to place them by item in bins or baskets with labels. I found some free labels on these websites that I can download and stick on.

Free Toy Bin Labels (teachingmama.org)

Free Printable Toy Storage Labels & Toy Organizing Tips | Sunny Day Family

28 Free Printable Toy Bin Labels for Playroom Storage (childhood101.com)

Symbolizing

I think of the Dandelion which most think of as a weed yet it is frequently used in the herb community. Dandelion Root coffee isn’t as bad as it sounds. The dandelions name means lions tooth. The flower is determined to grow in spite of how many times it is mowed down. To me the flowers determination symbolizes the struggle to overcome hard times. I think a lot of folks can relate to that struggle after this last year.

Enduring

In January I am enduring  the cold yet sort of enjoying the slower pace of life during winter.  The cold increases my stiffness and pain. I also struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder on top of my chronic depression.  It feels like it has been a long Chronic January. Wait didn’t I just say earlier that it seems like it was just Christmas a few weeks ago? I guess I”m in one of those places where I feel conflicted, in some ways time is moving so fast and in others it seems to trickle too slowly.

As a kid I used to love cross country skiing as a kid on some trails through the woods. I used to love winter as a kid. Now I admit it is beautiful. The cold bitter air just does not agree with me anymore. I have pretty much settled in and  with my favorite blanket each night I cozy up with some new cozy mysteries..

Revealing   

It won’t be long before we are planting our seeds for spring seedlings. The little green shoots revealing themselves from the potting soil. As they get the proper amount of sun and warmth they will grow and provide food. Food for us as well as the animals. Did you know there are many edible flowers? I also like planting flowers to provide food to the bees and butterflies. Spring is not for a few months yet but I can think about the sun and soil revealing new birth and new growth. The beginning of a new season.

Gracing

My first thought is the saying “Thank you for gracing us with your presence”.  Here would be a good opportunity to thank those who are visiting my blog and reading my posts. I am very appreciative of my followers.

As far as showing grace to myself that is a big struggle for me. I tend to struggle with the feeling that I don’t measure up. I am working on getting rid of negative thinking.  I find that when I pay attention and flip the script I manage to stay out of the rabbit hole of depression much easier.  It is easier for me to give grace to others than myself.

I am thankful for my Blisslet bracelets that arrived today. I won  them in A Chronic Voice’s Christmas giveaway. I was also blessed a few times in December to win some gift cards to Amazon. Since the pandemic I do a lot more online shopping. Though I prefer to give as much of my business to local and small businesses as I can.

I hope you enjoyed reading this chronic January post. Thank you for stopping by. Please share this post so someone else can read and relate.

3 Chronic Invisible Illness Supports and Resources