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ChronicBabe Carnival #5: Favorite self-care tools and techniques

Welcome to our fifth edition of ChronicBabe Carnival! We're talking about our favorite self-care tools and techniques.

ChronicBabes want to be AWAP (As Well As Possible). But sometimes chronic illness gets in the way and we forget to take care of ourselves. Or we get stuck in survival mode (see Lenka’s podcast for more on that). Self-care can sometimes be a challenge. The bloggers of ChronicBabe Carnival #5 are sharing some seriously useful self-care tools and techniques. Take a look and try some!

(We think you should start with this very simple post by Miss Melanoma, which has some great advice for getting what you want.)

After you check out our tools and techniques, we’d like to know…did you try our tips? What did you think? Do you have any tips that might help other ChronicBabes? Share them at the ChronicBabe forum!

Beating stress

Self care is an important part of managing a chronic illness, and we deserve to take good care of ourselves. Wendy at Transform Your Chronic Life: For Those Who are Sick & Tired of Feeling Sick & Tired shares non-medication stress-reduction methods to manage the symptoms of chronic illnesses in  “You CAN Feel Better: Self-care Tips and Tricks for Fibromyalgia and Bipolar Disorder.”

   Lenka at Lenkaland provides us with two podcasts. Each are about 45 minutes long and the links contain notes for the podcast. “Coping Strategies” has ideas and techniques for getting through those rough days.  And in “Beyond Survival: Listen, Learn, and Live Your Truth” Lena explores how easily we can fall into survival mode, yet how rewarding it feels to put ourselves first and enjoy the good stuff!  

Cultivating mind, body, and spirit has become a priority for Brittney, who writes The Road I'm On. In school to become a veterinarian, she notes what she does to stay in harmony with her environment in “Self Care for a High Stress Life.” 

Setting priorities

Kerri at Six Until Me is a new mom! That can be overwhelming and in “Oxygen Mask” Kerri is figuring out how to juggle managing type 1 diabetes while learning the ropes of motherhood. Hang in there, Babe!

KD from Making Noises knows her priorities: getting in some serious relaxing bath time. She enjoys a love affair with Epsom Salts and the ways in which it does her body good, and tells us more in "Salt of the Earth."

Taking care of your body

 An anti-inflammatory diet can be a challenge to follow, but at One Disadventure After Another, this writer found concrete steps that allowed her to feel consistently better. She shares “How To Be A Non-Fanatic Anti-Inflammatory Diet Fanatic.” 

And if you have diabetes, “Tips for the Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes” are to be had at Rachel’s Diabetes Tales.

Staying active

Gardening is a great way to keep both your mind and your body active. How to Cope with Pain provides tips for ChronicBabe gardeners in “It's Spring! How Can I Garden?”  

If you have cancer and live in Chicago, S.L. Wisenberg of Cancer Bitch has some cool ideas for you!  “Changing Your View” is a cheap vacation and a complete change of pace. (And you don't have to live in Chi-Town to take a cue from these ideas. Use them wherever you are!)

Your living space needs to get clean. Diana Lee at Somebody Heal Me: The Musings of a Chronic Migraineur imparts the details in how to “Simplify Life with Migraines & Chronic Illness: Cleaning.” 

Your quality time

Finding “quality me time” is essential for every ChronicBabe! Erica at Be The Change shares her favorite “me times” in  “Spoil me.”

Elisabeth at Redefining "Good" reveals the "Favorite Self-Care Tools and Techniques" she uses to pamper herself...and what’s on her list to try!  

Recognizing that self-care can be a challenge, Migrainista can be kind to herself in “Self Care or Something Like It” - and proves it.

Dana Marton, who Already Gave My Right Arm To Be Ambidextrous! , shares her ultimate bad day revival kit in “What I Like To Do To Help Myself When I'm Having A Bad Day...” 

Looking good

We are firm believers in looking good makes you feel good. Nessie at This Year's Masterpiece shares her tips for looking good in “Fake It Until You Make It” (one of Editrix Jenni's favorite tricks!).

Becky at Instructions Not Included is a semi-reformed nail biter. Her hands also take a beating from the seven-or-more-times-daily pricks she has to do as part of her type 1 diabetes routine. In “This hand is your hand (this hand is my hand)” she provides a few tips on giving your hands a little TLC!

When all else fails, there's humor

Sometimes the best we can do is deal with our issues with humor. Steph at Head Wise cracks us up as she makes her world a friendlier, less painful place in "Improv is My Superpower."

Doctors and drugs can only do so much. Maya at Loving with Chronic Illness gives us ChronicBabes a smile by showing how you can make yourself as happy and comfortable as possible...naturally in “The Most Natural Medicine.”

Like what you see here? Why not enter the next ChronicBabe Blog Carnival!

We're having so much fun running a blog carnival! But maybe there's room for improvement; we want to hear your suggestions. Let us know what you think in the discussion over at the Forum.

Want to participate in the next carnival? It's two weeks from today (publish date: June 15, 2010), and the theme is "Passion." We would love to hear your thoughts on the topic! If you want to participate, send us your name (as you would like it to appear), the name of your blog, the name of your post, and a 1-2 sentence description of the post. We'll let you know if you're accepted. Send all that to chronic babe @ gmail dot com. The deadline is Sunday, June 13, at 10pm CST.

Thanks again to all the participants, and to our pals at Fibrochondriac for helping make this blog carnival a reality!

Posted: 6/1/2010 in Blog Carnival | Also posted in: Coping

Gee, I really need some new undies. Maybe I should get that ChronicBabe thong my sister was talking about...

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