It's Been A Long Time...

I shouldn't have left you, without a dope blog to step to. My old school heads will know that's a take from Eric B. & Rakim joint in the 90's. Hip hop. Look it up.

Happy New Year, Fibro Warriors!

I can't believe I've fallen off like I have to start the new year with y'all! Shame on me! I had a lapse of lazy. It's true. It's true. I discovered a new "devil" online called Cityville. If you ain't played it and you like a challenge to be creative and solve problems, you should definitely check it out.

I've been doing experiments over the past few months with online gaming. I've found that for a Fibromyalgia sufferer, online gaming actually has several positive benefits.

• Provides social interaction - Those with Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and M.S. know that with our pain and infuriating exhaustion levels it is very difficult for us to get out and socialize like normal people. We try, we really do, but more often than not, it is simply not in the cards for us. Online gaming allows you to connect with people around the world. Most games have a "chat" feature where you can have short conversations. Other games, like my beloved Cityville (and Farmville and Castleville all by Zynga) make you rely on other players to conquer quests and "level up." You usually need to collect various items from others or need their assistance to say, "serve in City Hall" in Cityville. 

•  Cultivates "Fibro Fog" -  Games like Words With Friends (a spin off of Scrabble) force us to think of strategies to get the most points. Grant it, we usually only come up with 1st grade words like "Hot" and "Dog" it's the best we can do. Just do it. Don't be embarrassed. We can only do the best we can. 

•  Provides a "No Judgement Zone" - Never in the past 3 years of playing online games have I ever encountered a negative experience with anyone calling me "stupid" or "slow" or anything else. It's a judgement free environment. If you don't feel like playing for a week, when you get back online, no one bugs you with "Where were you?!" or "How stupid can you be?" Never. I've gamed with strangers and there's always a mutual respect online. 

• Relax and have fun! - Fibro gives us enough stress & sorrow during daily life IF we allow it to. Take time out to forget about the laundry that's piled up and the dishes in the sink.We usually never have enough energy or strength to complete every task that lay before us. Stop stressing over it! Log onto Facebook (or Pogo or Yahoo Games, your choice) find a game you like and just try it. Did I mention 90% of the online games are either free or provide you with a free demo version to try before you buy? Winner winner, chicken dinner. 

I don't know if I'll always have tips for you, but as I started typing this new post this is the topic that came to mind. I didn't want to start the year off on a negative note about my current battle with my symptoms & such. I do want to wish you all the best in health, life, and love. It's not always easy to remain upbeat dealing with our illness, but what doesn't kill us makes us stronger right? Rock on witcha' bad selves Fibro Warriors.


Love,
Ashara (Fibro Warrior Princess)