Felicia’s Lupus Coping Mechanisms

Any other coping mechanisms?

Laughter

A good sense of humor helps because sometimes all you can do to not break down is realize it’s all laughable. I use humor to help me survive and deal with flare-ups. I find lupus jokes and send to fellow lupies, we laugh at our limitations. I find other people Iike me living with lupus and we cheer each other on. We’re our own support group.

And music too

Every month I get an anthem, a song that reminds me of what I’m fighting for. I use it as my ringtone and it really helps keep my spirits up. I’ve had songs like Titanium by David Guetta, Brave by Sara Bareilles, Forever young by Alphaville, Beneath your beautiful by Labrinth. Currently it is Wild One by Sia, next month it’s gonna be No by Meghan Trainor. I want Lupus to know that ” My number is no, you need to let go, Nah to the ah, to the no, no,no.” But you get the idea behind an Anthem, whatever you need to encourage you to fight, that’s what you do. You claw and crawl, you cry, you scream, you just don’t give up, because between Lupus and I, only one of us is coming out alive, it’s gonna be me.

Your strength and courage is admirable, infectious and inspiring Felicia.They say laughter is the best medicine and when music hits you you feel no pain. You certainly can vouch for that 🙂

Speaking of coping mechanisms, how do you cope with challenges at work?

I worked for several years until last April. The stress of my job as an insurance sales representative contributed to my stress levels which triggered some serious Lupus flares. For 3 to 4 months every year I was out of work for medical reasons. My employer was very understanding and I usually got rehired. It was difficult sometimes when I needed a day to rest but had to be at the office. I’m contemplating going back to work, because I can’t be idle. But for now, I’m happy being a full time, mom, wife and lupus survivor. When people ask if I have a full time job I say, ‘my job is not to die from Lupus, and I work hard at it every second of every day. For now, I’m winning and to Lupus I say #suckit Lupus!

Next: Family, Faith, Felicia and Lupus and what each taught her