I’ve been thinking about language and the power of words. Mostly about the words positive & negative which crop up lots on chronic health forums. And you know what? I really dislike them. It’s the conversational equivalent of black and white, and the world just isn’t like that.

They also imply that we choose to be positive or negative, and that just by saying “today I will be” some magic happens and we become one or other. Simply not true, if only it was that easy.

I honestly don’t believe people are one or the other, I think we’re often both with varied shades of grey in between. And that’s fine. It’s perfectly normal to feel sad because the budgie died but happy because it’s not raining. Life does that. It’s how we cope with these moments and move on from them that define us.

Trying to be positive is a route to failure. In the same way that trying to be negative is. Because they both focus on ‘trying’, and that’s not authentic. Either is also incredibly draining, both for ourselves and those around us. Spend half an hour with someone who constantly complains about the raw deal life has dealt them and you’ll come away drained. Spend the same amount of time with someone who is forcing themselves to be positive and look on the bright side and it’s just as draining.

This is because they’re counting on your responses to feed their energy. Unknowing of what they’re doing they slowly bleed you dry.

Answer? Stop ‘trying’ and just be. Stop, take a look around you, the world is a beautiful place, full of wonder. If you’ve forgotten how spend half an hour with a young child, they’ll show you the magic of sunshine and trees and dogs and laughter.

And among these shades of grey is where you find happy. Where you’re in pain and can’t move but the cat comes for a cuddle. When your energy is so low you can’t get dressed so your friend comes to you for a coffee instead. Sunsets, birdsong, a light breeze, blooming flowers, scented candles, decent music, great coffee. All things we can notice and enjoy every single day.

So put aside the whole +/- mindset, it’s fake and unhelpful. If you’ve ever had someone cheerily say to you “remember to stay positive” you know just how unhelpful. Instead allow yourself to feel happy whenever you can instead. Right now I’m in bloody agony, my fibro is flaring and even my skin hurts. But I can still be happy, I have TV to distract me, a comfy sofa and a snuggly blanket. And one of the cats is snoring bless her!

On balance life is good. Don’t waste it reaching for how society thinks you should be, don’t let your illness live it for you, and make sure you constantly look for the small stuff, see the magic!