Smile even when it hurts; 5 ways to smile through the chronic pain.
“Through the rain and through the pain smile anyway”
Somedays we often wake up praying to have an amazing day, I know this is the case especially when you are living with a Chronic Illness. My daily prayer has become “Allow me to have a pain free day, but if I do have pain allow me to manage and still complete the task of the day.” It is like we can’t choose when the pain will come and we can’t choose when the pain will leave but what we can choose to do is manage how we react and SMILE.
I just celebrated my 30th birthday and for 30 years I had to learn how to SMILE even when it hurts. I am so grateful especially because at the age of eleven the doctors counted me out and told my family to prepare for the worst. Living life conquering Sickle Cell Anemia has been a journey. There has been times where I wanted to throw in the towel, times when I questioned God “Why me, God? Why me?” and there were times when I looked to God and I just thanked Him for the strength that He continues to give me to continue to conquer Sickle Cell Anemia. The biggest lesson I learned on this life journey is that a SMILE can confuse someone and I learned that my SMILE was my biggest asset especially when I am in pain. No matter how much pain I am in, I manage to put a SMILE on my face because it just changes my entire mood. One of the things I am told the most is “Elise, you are always smiling!”. Days when my body was in so much pain, I still managed to walk around smiling because I knew deep down inside that not only did it change my mood but there maybe someone I come in contact with that maybe just needed someone to smile at them.[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"></v:stroke> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></v:f> </v:formulas> <v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"></v:path> <o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"></o:lock> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="officeArt_x0020_object" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t75" style='position:absolute;margin-left:-13.7pt;margin-top:14.3pt; width:283.6pt;height:212.7pt;z-index:251660288;visibility:visible; mso-wrap-style:square;mso-wrap-distance-left:12pt;mso-wrap-distance-top:12pt; mso-wrap-distance-right:12pt;mso-wrap-distance-bottom:12pt; mso-position-horizontal:absolute;mso-position-horizontal-relative:margin; mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:line' wrapcoords="0 -5 21600 -5 21600 21595 0 21595 0 -5" strokeweight="1pt"> <v:stroke miterlimit="4"></v:stroke> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/LATOYA~1/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.jpg" o:title=""></v:imagedata> <w:wrap type="through" anchorx="margin" anchory="line"></w:wrap> </v:shape><![endif][if !vml][endif]
The summer of 2019 I had became sick where my doctor had taken me off of work and I became depressed. At that time I began to do some self-work and learned more about myself. I thank God for that time because it really allowed me to understand that I had been grieving the loss of myself for a very long time. I was diagnosed as a baby with Sickle Cell Anemia and because I didn’t know what was really going on with me, I struggled A LOT. I struggled with my identity, having a voice of my own and not knowing my worth. So the summer of 2019 after doing self worth is when I truly gained a SMILE. Below I am going to give you five ways to SMILE through the pain.
S- Stillness in Psalm 37:7 it states “Be still before the lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices.” Last summer when my doctor took me off of work I had nothing but time on my hands and it caused me to be still. Like now, with this pandemic going on, God has caused many of us to become still again. However, we have to really become still and listen to what God is trying to tell us. The scripture continues to say "Wait patiently for Him”. For me I would pray but that was it. I would continue on my way. I wouldn’t wait for God to speak back to me. I wasn’t taking the time out to be still but God has a way of making us sit still. So in this time be still, seek God wholeheartedly and allow God to speak back to you. There are many things we can binge watch on Netflix but I challenge you to turn the tv off, get off social media and sit with God and watch what He will reveal to you. My healing came with me seeking God and being still for his answers.
M- Maintain, So after my medical was over I had to go back to work. Right back to the hustle and bustle of everyday life and soon as this pandemic is over we are going to go back to everyday life and whatever that may look like for you. So I had to learn to maintain the time I was spending with God because honestly this was the time I felt amazing. I felt my best spending this time with being filled with His word and just feeling his presence around me. So I want you to maintain that SMILE when the pain hits. Maintain that stillness you have created when this pandemic is over and maintain the time you have put into the business you have built during this pandemic.
I- Inhale, Stop right now and just take a deep breathe in, Inhale. Inhale this moment and take[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"></v:stroke> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></v:f> </v:formulas> <v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"></v:path> <o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"></o:lock> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="officeArt_x0020_object" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t75" style='position:absolute;margin-left:361.15pt;margin-top:18.75pt; width:163pt;height:217.35pt;z-index:251661312;visibility:visible; mso-wrap-style:square;mso-wrap-distance-left:12pt;mso-wrap-distance-top:12pt; mso-wrap-distance-right:12pt;mso-wrap-distance-bottom:12pt; mso-position-horizontal:absolute;mso-position-horizontal-relative:margin; mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:line' wrapcoords="-133 -99 -133 0 -133 21594 -133 21694 0 21694 21598 21694 21731 21694 21731 21594 21731 0 21731 -99 21598 -99 0 -99 -133 -99" stroked="t" strokecolor="#ddd" strokeweight="2pt"> <v:stroke miterlimit="4"></v:stroke> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/LATOYA~1/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.jpg" o:title=""></v:imagedata> <w:wrap type="through" anchorx="margin" anchory="line"></w:wrap> </v:shape><![endif][if !vml][endif] everything in that is going on around you. When I am in pain I have to practice breathing methods to
make sure my blood flow is flowing correctly because that blood flow is what causes my pain. Outside of the pain, practicing good breathing techniques will help in a stressful situation and right now with Covid-19 going on I am pretty sure we have all encountered a stressful situation. Learn how to inhale and be in that moment and pay attention to your breathing. When we practice and pay attention to our breathing it takes our mind off of the million things that are running through our minds because we have now told our brain to focus on the breathing and our brain has to now stop running a mile a minute.
L- Laugh, as we all know laughter is good for us. Whenever I am in pain I try to turn on something funny because it takes my mind far away from the pain. Turn on your favorite comedy movie and laugh from the bottom of your stomach and watch how your mood instantly changes.
E- Exhale, So after you have inhaled you have to exhale to let that air out. Holding things in will only cause them to fester into something bigger. Exhale everything that you have been holding in. When you exhale, everything you have been bottling up will come out.
Through every struggle remember to tackle it with a SMILE on your face.
With love,
Elise Peeples your Grief Coach
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