So this is a book sharing post, something I’m going to do from time to time sprinkled in amongst my regular posts that are commentaries on my insights about fibromyalgia. I’m only going to write one when I’ve read a truly inspiring and sincerely helpful-to-my-life-with-fibromyalgia book that I’m compelled to pass on to others who have fibromyalgia in the off chance that they may be interested too.
Only a book that is uplifting, raises my spirits, gives me some pick-me-ups and excellent knowledge, helps me to manage stress and combat depression will be included…only a book that I get a life-changing take-away from (that helps me with my fibromyalgia)…and of course, only a book that supplements my blog.
Because that undoubtedly remains my main focus…relaying my insights learned through twenty-one hard fought, trial and error years of experience living with fibromyalgia…relaying everything I can possibly think of to help others on this same fibromyalgia journey.
And I’ll list these books on my RESOURCES page where I’ve also explained my long-time way-of-life of keeping my eyes open for new and uplifting ways of thinking…applicable to everything in life really…and of course, with that, applicable to life with fibromyalgia.
Please do not spend any money on this book unless you feel it may be of interest to you in your own battle with fibromyalgia or your life in general.
So recently I decided to revisit a favourite little book of mine, a total gem of a book, an ongoing little couple-pages-a-day stress support system, my everyday pick-me-up, my every night little escape-to-nice-thoughts before I drift off to sleep.
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All that in one book!?
Yes!!
So let me explain.
The book is “DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF…and it’s all small stuff“ by Richard Carlson.
Maybe you’ve read it before; I had too. It was first published in 1997, bought for me years ago, before I had fibromyalgia, as a gift from a close family member who found it absolutely life changing after it was highly recommended by a counsellor to help them with anxiety and depression. And I found it enlightening and uplifting, with the definite potential to be long term life changing but I put it aside after reading it and then forgot about it for years as I plodded through life with fibromyalgia trying to simply keep my head above water…no time for books I thought…until recently.
Until I came across it and remembered how enlightening and uplifting it had been and realized how perfect it would fit into my fibromyalgia life; it could help me continue to combat my fibromyalgia in so many ways!
It’s such a phenomenal little “life” kind of book for anyone…very specific, simple yet powerful strategies…laid out in super short, easy, insightful and supportive-to-read, mostly one and a half page “chapters”…things one can start doing immediately…positive illuminating things…things that help one respond to life more calm and stress-free. (PING…stress-free!?…that always sets off my radar and grabs my attention…because I absolutely know less stress can only be a good thing for my fibromyalgia…a very good thing!)
As soon as I began reading it again…it was eye opening and I knew it would be life changing…countless new perspectives, take-aways, that I could very much use each and every day.
Why, it fits like a glove with my own “change what I think” strategy that I’ve used for decades and talked about in many posts, in that when you change how you think about something, it changes your perspective…it changes how you feel…(it lessens stress)…(which lessens symptoms)…it changes your life. This entire little book is a treasure trove of actual (daily!) strategies to do this!
And I can’t emphasize that characteristic enough…it’s a “little” book…filled with “little” chapters…one hundred “little” chapters (strategies!) to be exact. So why do I like “little” so much?
Well, if you haven’t already guessed, “little” makes for perfect reading for someone with the memory, attention and sometimes even comprehension issues of fibro fog, someone who falls asleep on the book after reading a page or two (from fatigue) at times, someone whose life is hard to plan or know what one day to the next will bring at the best of times, someone whose life is disrupted and interrupted for weeks on end (beyond their control) at the worst (flares), someone who could definitely use a little daily pick-me-up here or there…YES, sound familiar?…I know you guessed by now…someone with fibromyalgia!
I say “daily” pick-me-up because that’s how the book was recommended to me to be read, one chapter each day (which again, is often only a page and a half) and I find I love it that way.
It’s very helpful that the strategies are in small doses, small daily pick-me-ups, each little gem in one and a half to twoish small easily readable and enjoyable pages. They make it easy to keep my focus for those times when fatigue or fibro fog are taking over, not too much to remember or comprehend at a time, easy to fit into my day somewhere, consistently, no matter what is going on or how I feel.
And not only are they easy to fit into my day, as little pick-me-ups, short and sweet (which, by the way, is sometimes the sole way I use the book and that in itself is a godsend(!) for helping to combat and keep depression at bay), these small doses make it easier and more likely for me to incorporate them into my already overloaded fibromyalgia life, long term.
Yes, I absolutely love having these little positive, enlightening strategies swirling around in my head as I go about my day, but I also want to use them to better myself.
I find it enjoyable to try these little bite size changes, bit by bit, here and there, not too much at once…I’m more likely to absorb them and actually incorporate them into my life when I’m not overwhelmed with such an overload of new information. And I find, when I’m able to do this, they do help me keep life in perspective more, which, while I’m pushing and/or dragging myself through daily life with fibromyalgia, is definitely a huge help on the stress front.
And stress? Well, as I’ve detailed in an earlier post, “It’s the very first thing I learned about my fibromyalgia…and I certainly didn’t know then that I had already probably pinpointed the most important thing I may ever need to know about my fibromyalgia.” And, “I always realize that, more often than not, it’s not the actual circumstances or events going on in my life that are causing me the stress…the stress is coming from HOW I’M THINKING ABOUT THEM.”
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This little book reinforces this over and over again in every strategy in all one hundred chapters…by giving specific ways to think, perspective that is, to be a calmer, less stressed individual.
And yes, ANYTHING that helps me lessen stress, a key trigger for my symptoms, can only be good for my fibromyalgia…very good for my fibromyalgia! I find I never lose my enthusiasm for adding to my own repertoire of gleaned-over-the-years stress strategies and Richard Carlson’s little book absolutely fits the ticket.
So, there’s a lot of ways to use this little gem of a book, and of course it’s up to the individual how best they would enjoy it. Maybe some would read it in one sitting; I have thought of that at times as I enjoy it so much…I do often want to read ahead, anxious to take in the next little pearl of wisdom…but I’ve always opted for the daily pick-me-up as it fits so well for me, having fibromyalgia.
I started out reading a “chapter” every morning, first thing, to help start my day with a little injection of positiveness right off the bat, something new and enlightening to start each day…a boost to help battle the “down” feeling I have waking up at times, as I’ve talked about in a previous post about depression plus just some added motivation to actually get my hurting (fibromyalgia) body up, out of bed, and moving.
It wasn’t too long before I decided to reread it at bedtime, snuggled in my bed, to remember and absorb the message more (fibro fog!…need I say more!?) and go to sleep on a positive note too, getting my mind off my daily life and onto loftier ideals to relax and drift off to sleep with and maybe (hopefully) make for a nice night’s sleep and an equally nice wake up.
And as I found gem after gem in these strategies, I started to think maybe I will continually reread the book over and over again…I’m on my third time in a row reading it now and for me personally, it is the gift that just keeps on giving!
I’ve started my day with it…I’ve ended my day with it…I’ve started and ended my day with it. I’ve caught myself remembering the “strategy/chapter” I read that morning at some point as I go about my day and it’s brought a little lift to me, my own secret stress support-system, sometimes motivating, always calming and relaxing.
And then again, I’ve totally enjoyed it some mornings, only to have what I read go in one ear and out the other as my focus needs to be on the tasks at hand throughout my day to get anything done. (thanks fibro fog!) On the plus side of that, I get to snuggle in bed and see what “new” gem awaits me that night all over again…even though I’ve read it that morning, I’ve forgotten it so it feels like the first time again! (thanks again fibro fog!)
While I absolutely love the daily pick-me-up that I get (and don’t get me wrong, that in itself, is more than enough reason to be thrilled with this book!), I’ve really wanted to remember and absorb all these little “lessons”, permanently internalizing the strategies. I’ve tried leaving the book where I would see it often throughout my day, maybe on my kitchen counter, and made a conscious effort to keep remembering each day’s message throughout each day. I’ve also thought maybe I should reread each “chapter” twice every day, morning and night, each chapter for an entire week at a time, to absorb the lessons more so they become even more actionable in my life.
One thing’s for sure, I’m determined to internalize more and more of the enlightened perspective I always get from each chapter…this book is just too excellent to not try to retain and practice as much as possible…THERE’S ONE HUNDRED POWERFUL STRATEGIES IN IT!
And as I’ve read through them, more than once I have come across JUST ONE that I felt, if I could remember to practice and internalize IT alone, that would be SOMETHING…something truly helpful to be a more serene person moving through life!
Wow, just so many major new take-aways in one little book!
And even the few strategies in it I was already familiar with? Well, I STILL find someone else saying it, maybe in a different way or expanding on it…is always a good reminder and reinforcement leading me to a renewed interest and adoption of the strategy, maybe for new circumstances in my life (especially my fibromyalgia circumstance) or simply to become a wiser me.
Yes, what I know is real is the powerful strategies in “DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF…and it’s all small stuff” are turning out to be timeless for me. Even though I initially read it well over a decade earlier, I’ve found it amazing to read through again years later in an entirely different place in my life, with a totally renewed need for it and an entirely new perspective gained from it.
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That is, a fibromyalgia place in my life, where an ongoing little couple-pages-a-day stress support system, an everyday pick-me-up, and an every night little escape-to-nice-thoughts before I drift off to sleep is an especially welcome thing!
And I’m finding I Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff as much now as I continue to absorb all these wonderful little new and illuminating gems…I’m adopting a calmer, more serene…less stressed(!)…perspective in my fibromyalgia life as I am reminded daily that basically…it’s all small stuff.
