Yes, it’s midway through 2020, and as usual – can you believe it?! As I get older, the years, months, and even weeks simply seem to fly by at breakneck speed. Yet some days are just terribly and painfully long. Strange how that works. Anyway it’s time for the June Linkup, and I would love to hear your thoughts, more about your life with chronic illness or disability, and how you’re coping with it all. Don’t forget to add your link to the widget below after you’ve published your entry, so we can find you and your blog easily, and lend support, or receive inspiration and hope for ourselves. Thank you so much to all of you for participating, I can’t wait to read what you have to say!
June 2020 Awareness Dates:
- World Environment Day (05 June)
- National Cancer Survivors Day (07 June)
- World Blood Donor Day (14 June)
- Father’s Day (14 June in USA, Canada & UK)
- Men’s Health Week (15 – 21 June) Resources You Can Use
- World Sickle Cell Day (19 June)
- Summer Solstice (20 June)
- International Scoliosis Awareness Day (27 June)
- PTSD Awareness Day (27 June 2020)
- Helen Keller Deaf-Blind Awareness Week (27 June, which is Helen Keller’s birthday)
- National HIV Testing Day (27 June)
- World Scleroderma Day (29 June)
- Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month
- Cataract Awareness Month Resources You Can Use
- Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month
- National Aphasia Awareness Month
- National Hernia Month
- National Migraine & Headache Awareness Month
What It’s All About
It is a monthly get together for anyone with chronic illnesses. An opportunity to share, to listen, and to learn from one another. I also think it’s a great way to provide insight into life with chronic pain, from many different points of view. All you have to do is write a short excerpt for at least three of the listed prompts, and publish it on your blog. Then click on the blue ‘Add Link’ button below to add your blog entry here. Voilà, you’re now part of the party!
A Few Simple Rules:
- Only 1 link per website.
- Do comment on at least 2 other blog posts in this linkup if you participate. Helping to spread the word on your social media is always appreciated, but not required.
- This linkup starts on the 1st of every month. There will be 5 different prompts. It will close at the end of each month before midnight. All timings listed are in Singapore time (+8 GMT).
- Pick at least 3 of the prompts to write about. 5 is best, of course! 😉
- We also ask that you share this main link to at least one of your social media outlets within the same month.
- Failure to follow these rules might get you blacklisted from future linkups. Let’s keep it fair for all 🙂
Prompts for the Month
- Searching
- Hoping
- Traumatising
- Honouring
- Responding
You could be searching for something intangible such as peace, love, joy, yourself, or answers to certain problems. Or something tangible such as jobs, medication that works to relieve chronic pain, toilet paper (is it still out of stock where you are?), a gift for Father’s Day and more. You could also be searching for a missing pet, person or someone whom you’ve lost contact with over the years.
Hope is powerful. It is easy to lose hope after prolonged periods of pain, especially when depression lives in your head with you and whispers lies. You could be hoping for an improvement in the weather, pain levels, the COVID-19 pandemic situation, for a child, and so much more. Have you lost hope and how are you trying to regain it? What are you hoping for, for you, a loved one or the world in general?
Almost everyone with a chronic illness has had at least a traumatic encounter with pain and/or dismissals at the hospital. Or perhaps it is more of a slow effect, as the hurts build up over the years. With the panic and chaos of the lockdown and public safety measures over the past few months, it must have also been traumatising for many with disabilities to get essential supplies and accommodations. Perhaps you have a traumatic past, something that you’d like to remain silent about for now, or perhaps are ready to share, raise awareness and provide hope for others in similar situations.
You could be honouring your body with self-care and self-respect; taking good care of it, respecting its limits and setting boundaries for yourself. You could also be honouring a promise, a person, Mother Nature, teachers, civil servants, advocates, and just about anyone you hold high respect for.
As they say, how a person responds when placed in a position of power or in a difficult situation is revealing of their character. Right now the world is pretty much in fear and uncertainty, and there has been a wide array of human responses. From selfish hoarders, people who don’t wear masks and risk the health of everyone around them, to stories of selfless giving, sacrifice and care. How are you responding to the crisis, or to another situation happening specifically in your life? You could also be responding to a call for help, responding to certain treatments and personal growth, or waiting for a response from someone, somewhere.
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