softly, it goes

Holding hands.

Resting their heads over my shoulder.

Lying on their lap or chest.

Kisses on the forehead.

Playing with my hair.

When they give me that look of admiration.

Them making me laugh.

Giving compliments.

Putting their arms around me.

Making me feel heard and seen without even trying.

Random hugs when words aren’t needed.

When they remember the things I am passionate about.

Buying me food.

Them checking on me constantly.

When they respect my boundaries.

When they talk to me about things that reminds them of me.

When they speak their truth.

When they say they love me.

- take your pills with something. I know it’s good bragging that you can take pills dry but it really sucks to get esophagus problems from that. If you have trouble washing them down or psyching yourself up to swallow, try it with food! Oatmeal, prunes, or banana were my favorites

- take it ten steps at a time. Literally. If you don’t know how you’ll manage to get through an hour meeting or a long distance, count your steps or breaths. Focus on the pattern, walk to syllables to your favorite poem or song, count in French, whatever gets you through that small chunk of time. Then do it again

- have a distraction. Your brain can’t face your symptoms all the time. Watch or listen to something for everything

- sit down. Sitting usually hurts less than standing for me. Sit while brushing teeth, showering, sorting laundry

- switch your media. You will build negative associations to a song you listen to when you are in pain. Some take longer than others. I constantly cycle through music and keep a playlist of music that seems immune to the associations

- take breaks. Pace yourself. There’s no shame if you need to take four days to cut your nails or read one paragraph at a time

- plan for rest days. I usually have a day before and after a task set to just prepare and recover

They’re going on an adventure

We have very little control over how our bodies look

How much you weigh is honestly pretty boring, and the world is full of so many more interesting things to think about 

If you do gain weight, so what?

You have no obligation to be attractive

Physical health can be extremely complex & difficult to manage, and whether or not you can is not a measure of your worth.

Mental health is important too. 

oh to live in a secluded little cottage with a pretty garden somewhere in the countryside