Hello everyone and welcome back.

I have mentioned earlier that I have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia this year. And with that I have some other diagnoses that comes with Fibromyalgia. I also have a diagnoses called Raynaud’s phenomenon. And today I am going to talk about how this illnesses is affecting my journey to a more elegant life.

Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes pain throughout the body, it drains you of energy. It can and mostly due challenge your sleep. It challenges your bowls and digestive system. Fibromyalgia can trigger mental illnesses like depression and anxiety. You can also get “fibro-fog” which means that you could have problems process information, problems with concentrating and remember things. And your muscles stiffens.
– https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/fibromyalgia/

How Fibromyalgia is affecting me.
For those of you who knows me and has known me since my teenage-years know that I have been struggling with pain since I was 15 years old (that is 18 years of my life). And I have been in and out of doctors-offices and hospitals trying to figure out why I never got better.
I also got diagnosed with IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome) a couple of years ago. Which I have now realized is part of Fibromyalgia.
I have had extremely tight muscles for as long as I can remember, and for nearly 18 years I thought and was told by my doctors that my pains comes from my tight muscles. As soon as I get them loosened I would be pain free (that did not happened).
I am of those that need lots of sleep. We are talking 9-12 hours of sleep during the night (not really working that well with a toddler who still struggles a bit with sleep during the night). However I am making a habit of going to bed at the same time everyday and wake up at the same time everyday. This is of course changeable since I work shifts. That means some days I need to wake up earlier and other days I will be getting a bit later to bed.
For the mental part of Fibromyalgia I have periods where I have troubles with remembering things. I have noticed that when there are several things happening in one week I have trouble with my memory and I get drained of energy.
For the depression- and anxiety part of Fibromyalgia I am lucky. I did have depression in my teens, but now I am free of depression.
I do have extremely mild social-anxiety. It’s seldom any problems and the few times it was a “problem” is when I was extremely tired and surrounded with people I don’t know (like when I am at a concert and need to stand instead of having a seat to sit on).

Fibromyalgia and Elegance.
I have stated that elegance and soft-life is what you yourself what you want it to be.
For me elegance is about the vibe, the decor, the way I speak and think.
Soft-life is also about how I speak and think. It’s about the way I take care of myself, what I prioritize in my life.
My bedroom is my most elegant room in my home at the moment, MY kind of elegant. It’s navy blue with dark furniture’s and gold decor. It’s warm and welcoming. I relaxes and sleep so good in there.
I am decluttering the house as often as I can and trying to find a permanent place for everything (not as easy as it will be after we are done with the renovating).
I listen to my body and try my best to give it what it needs at all times.

Raynaud’s phenomenon.
Raynaud’s phenomenon is a condition that affects the bloodstream in your body. Mostly fingers and toes but can also affect ears, nose, lips and nipples. Usually it means that your skin changes colours from skincolour to white (white as in lack of blood in those places), and when your blood starts to flow back you may become red before the skincolour goes back to normal. Some may experience pain, numbness and pins and needles.
– https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/raynauds/

Raynaud’s phenomenon and how it affects me.
I was diagnosed with Raynaud’s back in 2017 after I finally got around to check out why I was so troubled with my joints, especially in my fingers. I would feel intense pain if I held my fingers under cold water for more than ten seconds. The pain would shoot up my arm and into my shoulder blades. I would get nausea, feel dizzy, and eventually pass out due to the pain. When the temperature dropped below 5°C, I needed to use mittens or gloves. Otherwise, my fingers would start to stiffen.
After I got diagnosed and put on some medication I felt huge improvement from the start. After I started with strength training, my blood circulation improved significantly. I could stop using medication. My fingers and toes stayed warm even during winter when I was outside.
However, after I gave birth and started to nurse I got bad really fast. I had to put my cashmerescarf around my breast to keep it warm every time I was nursing. This kept my circulation going. Otherwise, my nipple would retract, and I couldn’t nurse. (The nursing did last only for 1,5 month, but that is a story for an another time). I even started back on medication.
A couple of weeks after I stopped nursing I could stop using medication again, I was able to generally keep myself warmer without having to use every trick I had been using in the past.

Raynaud’s phenomenon and Elegance.
With Raynaud’s phenomenon and elegance it goes more on how I dress and how my posture is.
I have two beautiful cashmerescarfs that I love to use, and I use them all the time during winter. I have used them with dresses during summer to keep warm if we are going to events. I also love to use mittens or gloves and a hat that are both warm and looks beautiful. I choose to wear clothes and shoes that are warm, beautiful and looks good on me rather then only choose comfort or beauty. I am in the belief that you can and should have both.
As for my posture, I have found that if I feel amazing in what I wear it will show.

What do you think of this?
Does any of this help you in any way?

Is there anything else you would like me to write about?
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Love
Emilie Cathrin