Yesterday was a bad day, my all of my chronic issues flared up. It was a stay in bed or on the couch resting kind of day. I was forgetting things like being asked to put dinner in the oven, something fairly important, to forgetting where I put my phone.

Thankfully I have a strong support group who help me out a lot. They do things from forgiving me for forgetting to put dinner in the oven, to finding what I lost, even to telling me it’s time to lay down if I’m trying to push to hard.

One of the most important lessons I’m still learning is to forgive yourself when you just can’t. The can’t could be going to a social occasion to not being human that day. I spend a lot of days home when I would rather go out with my family, but my family has learned to help me prioritize where I spend my energy.

While yesterday was a bad day, I am thankful to my family and everyone who’s helped me get to where I am.

What’s been the most important lesson you’ve had to learn coping with chronic pain? How does your support group help you?