Happy Friday world! We made it through the week. And, because it’s been RA Blog Week, we’ve learned and raised some awareness. Together, myself and the other bloggers have spent the week making this invisible illness a bit more visible. That’s a great thing.

I’m picking another wildcard today so that I can pass on some advice to all of y’all. I hope that my experiences walking through life with Rheumatoid Arthritis will help someone out there.

Thing #1: Don’t look back. Well, at least not for too long. Don’t dwell on the life you had before RA came to live with you. Look back at the happy moments. But don’t compare that life to the new one you’re living. Focusing on your pre RA life, especially on that pain free body you once had, is toxic. Accept your new normal.

Thing #2: Redefine normal every chance you get. An RA life is a rollercoaster. RA changes your body almost daily. You might become a human barometer like I have. Any weather change and my body sends out warning signals in the form of pain. That’s my normal. My normal used to be weakness and exhaustion. Before then it was pretending to not be sick. With RA you get the opportunity (yes, you read that right) to redefine normal over and over.

Thing #3: Find a support group. Maybe a face to face group that meets at a local church. Maybe a group of random strangers on Facebook. Maybe a network of bloggers. The point is, find people who are living an RA life too. Only people walking this walk can really understand what you go through every day. That level of understanding is vital.

I could go on and one but I won’t. Instead, I’m going to close up RA Blog Week with a second topic. The other folks who have been blogging this week with me. Our fearless leader (hi Rick!) has put together a great list of links to everyone’s blog. You can see it here. I highly recommend checking out the other blogs. You never know, one of my fellow bloggers might be writing something that will touch your heart.

I hope you all have had a great week. It’s been a blessing to spend it writing about RA. It has given this writer a much needed boost to her tired creativity.

Have a blessed weekend y’all.

~Elise

PS. I have a book coming out! (Yay!) Restoration Road will be released in October. If you want to know more about it, click here. And keep watching my blog for more information on when and where you can get your own copy.