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My best friend and medicine

Just having a great time with my dog Magnus he really is a bright star in my world. He has totally bonded with Mom also very affectionate. The beginning was a lot of work but he is listening better after all he is only 9 months old now.

I have been having a really rough time with my new symptoms the abdominal muscle spasms are all day. I wake up in great pain every morning that's the reality of muscular dystrophy no matter how long you rest it's back to square one. This is where my little buddy Magnus comes in and is so happy to see me every morning. He is so much fun with his toys and loves to play fetch. He is truly my best defense against rough times and he ha captured my heart 💙💙#MentalHealth #DegenerativeDiscDisease #Anxiety #Depression #RareDisease #Fibromyalgia #PeripheralNeuropathy #FootDrop #facialneuropathy #MuscularDystrophy #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness

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Life is tough

Most of us spend our lives trying to avoid difficult things. We put off exercising because it's uncomfortable. We avoid difficult conversations because they're awkward. We neglect our mental health because sitting with our thoughts can feel overwhelming.

The problem is that avoiding those things doesn't make life easier. It usually replaces one challenge with another, and that challenge is often much harder.

The discomfort of exercise can become poor health. The discomfort of looking after your mental health can become years of unnecessary suffering. The discomfort of one honest conversation can become a relationship that slowly falls apart.

Life isn't about finding the easy path. It's about choosing the difficulties that build a better future instead of the ones that slowly make life harder.

What difficult thing have you been putting off that you know would improve your life if you finally faced it?

Also, if you're going through a tough time right now, I want you to know that I post daily mental health videos about how to deal with painful thoughts. So if you or anyone you know is struggling and wants help, click on one of the links below or write me if you have any questions you want me to answer:

www.instagram.com/thomas_of_copenhage

www.tiktok.com/@thomas_of_copenhagen

~ Thanks to all. Thanks for all. ~

#MentalHealth #MentalHealth #Depression #Anxiety #BipolarDisorder #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Addiction #dissociativedisorders #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #ADHD #Fibromyalgia #EhlersDanlosSyndrome #PTSD #Cancer #RareDisease #Disability #Autism #Diabetes #EatingDisorders #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #RheumatoidArthritis #Suicide #MightyTogether

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Describe your comfort zone.

Happy Monday, Mighties! ✨

For this week’s self-care challenge, we'll be broadening our horizons. 🔭

Have you been thinking of learning something new or setting fresh goals for yourself? Are you interested in mastering a new craft or skill or want to experience something different than what you're used to? This is what it means to broaden your horizons. We can accomplish this by stepping into uncharted territories, widening our perspectives, and intentionally exploring things outside of our comfort zones.

Let's begin this journey by reflecting on our current comfort zones. In what instances and in what parts of your life do you feel most at ease and like you know what to expect?

#52SmallThings #CheckInWithMe #Selfcare #MentalHealth #Disability #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #RareDisease #Anxiety #Depression #Autism #Parenting #PTSD #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #BipolarDisorder #Fibromyalgia #Lupus #MultipleSclerosis #Migraine #Spoonie

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What do you do when your illness has no name?

When I finally saw the big immunologist, he sat with me and my family for over an hour, sympathetically listened to my symptoms, and at the end of the appointment put his hands together and said, "I have no idea what's wrong with you. There's clearly something going on, but this doesn't match any pattern of immunodeficiency I've seen before."

He wound up retiring a week or so later after a long, accredited career in the field.

Since then, I've been undergoing testing so they can figure out exactly where my immune system has failed - they know I have low immunoglobulins, but that doesn't explain my symptoms perfectly. My vaccine responses are mostly fine. They've ruled out the more common immunodeficiencies. It's been months and we're no closer to an answer than before.

My life has been put on pause while they try to figure out what is wrong.

I have a combination of immunodeficiency, some kind of heritable connective tissue disorder/unknown subtype of Ehlers-Danlos, epilepsy and mild hypothyroidism with normal TSH (this might be caused by chronic/recurrent infection).

I've been sick for most of my life and it only seems to get worse. I'm losing my hearing, my spine is collapsing, I have neuropathy in my feet, and I'm in and out of hospital with infections. There is, as far as I can tell, no name for my syndrome.

I nearly died in Janaury after recurrent tonsillitis spiraled out-of-control. I'm terrified I'm not going to get to grow old. I live with a constant fear of the future, but I get up every day and keep going with no idea what tomorrow holds.

The question hangs over my head: is it one thing, or did the universe really hate me enough to hand me several rare diseases?

#RareDisease

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How can you nurture yourself this weekend?

It’s the end of the week, Mighties, so let’s reflect on nurturing ourselves over the coming weekend! This can look like self-care, nurturing a hobby or passion project, spending time with people you care about, organizing/decluttering your work or living space, or doing something relaxing and fun.

Mighty staffer @sparklywartanks plans to nurture herself this weekend by sleeping in and spending time with her family.

How can you nurture yourself in the next few days?

#52SmallThings #CheckInWithMe #Selfcare #MentalHealth #Disability #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #RareDisease #Anxiety #Depression
#Autism #Parenting #PTSD #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #BipolarDisorder #Fibromyalgia #Lupus #MultipleSclerosis #Migraine #Spoonie

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Something that would make my living space more nurturing is…

Our living spaces are an important part of our daily lives and comfort levels (yes, even if you don’t spend a bunch of time in yours). It is in these spaces where we largely rest and take care of our basic human needs — from hygiene to preparing our meals to paying bills. Creating a safe space where we stay can have a significant impact on our health as well, since a good environment can help us manage and navigate stress better. And a bad environment can, well, add a lot of stress too.

What are some ways you can make your living space more nurturing for you?

Something that would make Mighty staffer @sparklywartanks living space more nurturing is adding more plants and colorful art.

#52SmallThings #CheckInWithMe #Selfcare #MentalHealth #Disability #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #RareDisease #Anxiety #Depression
#Autism #Parenting #PTSD #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #BipolarDisorder #Fibromyalgia #Lupus #MultipleSclerosis #Migraine #Spoonie

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What relationship in your life do you nurture the most?

Here’s the truth: The relationships we have with others help us build community and connection with the world around us.

This is also the truth: Some relationships in our lives will naturally be closer than others and have different standards, but overall they each have their own level of significance to us and our needs. Those relationships can be with family and friends, coworkers, neighbors, teachers and classmates, or even our health care teams.

Out of the relationships in your life, which ones do you nurture the most? What does that nurturing look like?

Mighty staffer @sparklywartanks says she nurtures the relationships she has with her mother and sister the most.

#52SmallThings #CheckInWithMe #Selfcare #MentalHealth #Disability #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #RareDisease #Anxiety #Depression
#Autism #Parenting #PTSD #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #BipolarDisorder #Fibromyalgia #Lupus #MultipleSclerosis #Migraine #Spoonie

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Share a little about yourself using emojis! ✨

Happy Monday, Mighty friends! 🌟

Let's get to know each other a little better by answering with emojis today!

Here are a few prompts to get us started:

1️⃣ What's your favorite color?
🔷 🩷 🟨
2️⃣ What kinds of pets do you have?
🐈 🐕 🐹 🐦
3️⃣ What's your go-to hobby?
🎵 📺 🎨 📚 🌱
4️⃣ How's your energy today?
🔋 🪫 ⚡ 😴
5️⃣ Where do you spend most of your time?
🏠 💼 🏫 🌳

Feel free to share with us below!

#MightyMinute #DistractMe #MondayMoji #CheckInWithMe #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #Disability #RareDisease #MentalHealth #Anxiety #Autism #Parenting #PTSD #ADHD #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #BipolarDisorder #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #EatingDisorders #Depression #Fibromyalgia #Lupus #MultipleSclerosis #Migraine #Spoonie

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