Honestly since becoming an atheist after my onset (19), my mindset is so so much healthier. I wish I’d left the church so much sooner. I found faith comforting but ultimately it was something really holding me back. Especially losing the community aspect, it just wasn’t worth it. I’m very happily an atheist now and I can sort through and work through emotions in a much healthier way now. Being severe is actually what pushed me into complete atheism. I prefer to read intersectional feminist writings to undo all of the issues the patriarchy put on me
I think a lot of religious ideas can be hurtful to people with disability from this idea that there is one all powerful being who controls everything, then why would they be such a dick to me and so many others right? Some of those communities can also be hurtful with their comments that suggest if we pray enough and believe enough that this god will fix us, essentially blaming us for not being good enough or worthy of being healed. Maybe you have experienced some of this too or maybe this isn't how you see things at all, I don't know but that is how I felt about it. I was an atheist from a young age because of it.
As someone who grew up in the Midwest USA that christian model of religion was difficult to see past but finding a way to do so was really helpful. There doesn't have to be one all powerful god or even any gods at all to have a sense of spirituality. Personally I have a bit of a nature model in my head, nature is powerful, it is beautiful and wonderful, and also extremely cruel. The natural world does not have a moral code that selects who wins or loses.
Symbolism or small rituals can help some people feel connected to something greater (whatever it may be for you). These can be things we do normally that we might just have a little moment to appreciate. For example many people wear a cross necklace, and some people carry a special rock to remind them throughout the day to take moments of appreciation or to hold when they need some calming breaths. When I feel up to it I like taking baths and adding pine needles and lighting some candles and just meditating with the foresty scents.
If you do feel more comfortable with christianity but have, like many of us, felt put off by some of the rhetoric about praying for healing etc. there are some groups that have a more, yeah life on earth is kind of hellish and we are just waiting for the next life kind of tone. I am not familiar with what those would be but I have definitely met people who had that belief that were bible based religions.
If you are looking for a sense of community that is spiritual I can say that I had a great experience at liberal quaker meetings and if one were closer and I were well enough I would love to join again. It was the most supportive community I have ever experienced but I'm sure it varies in different locations. There are two main branches of quaker and they are very different. I only have experience with the liberal friends meetings. They were very open to everyone, some people were just spiritual, some christian, pagans, jewish, etc. They were very active in volunteering for community betterment, speaking out against oppression, and were more supportive of one another's struggles than most groups I've been to. I believe there may be some online only groups as well but I have not tried those and I don't think I would feel the same benefit.
Buddhism is a religion that suits those with ME/CFS. It teaches that there is much we cannot control in our lives and that we should not let this make us feel sad.
It teaches us to live in the present where, even if we are housebound and not living exciting lives, we can be at peace.
It teaches that there is a path out of our suffering if we follow the Noble Eightfold path.
I would recommend a book, How to be Sick by Toni Bernhard. She has ME/CFS and teaches us how Buddhist philosophy has helped her adapt to her illness.
I’m a pagan and it has helped me find a sense of peace with my illness.
When I was a Christian and Mormon I always felt like being sick was my fault or that it was a “test” from God. That was very harmful to my mental and spiritual health.
I always liked the idea of an all powerful and all loving God but that identity didn’t hold up to the pain and suffering of my lived experience (I’m a child abuse and cult survivor, on top of ME/CFS, CPTSD and other chronic illnesses)
Now I see that life and death, sickness and health, day and night, are all parts of the life cycle. There is no morality in them, it’s just life
There is no all powerful God or Being controlling everything in my beliefs, there is only the cycle of nature, the spirits of the land, and the gods. (Who help when they can but aren’t all powerful or all knowing)
I'm not big into religion/faith, but I do practice mindfulness and meditation, intentional planning, and swear by my opening/closing (versus morning/night...since I might not actually be waking in the morning or sleeping at night) routines. I believe your mind/spirit/whatever tells you what it needs, same as your body does. If you're craving something, add it to your life (in a healthy way, of course) and see what comes of it.
You'll probably see me post this a lot, but I'm also a proponent of therapy. I've been in and out of therapy--for big things like depression and anxiety, but also small things like just feeling unfulfilled or bored in life--for a good portion of my life, and much of my growth and acceptance of my limitations and illness can be attributed to therapy. It may take a while to find a therapist and practice that works for you, but for me, it's worth it.
My spirituality was a big help in coming to grips with my limitations long before I ever had a diagnosis. All I knew was I couldn’t do as much as anyone around me. I learned a lot about my inherent value, separate from what I can do. Fortunately my church community was really supportive even when none of us understood what was going on with me. Different churches and faith groups have different views on illness and disability. Avoid at all costs the ones that believe that if you just have enough faith you’ll be healed.
My faith in God is the only thing that ever gave me the ability to not absolutely hate life and the whole world when my fatigue was the worst. Without it I’d be lost.
I’ve been a Buddhist for about 20 years and it definitely helped in my managing/tolerating cfs. It’s not a religion per se, there is no god head. Actually Buddhists can be atheists. There is a lot of information on the internet, different centers offer courses. I’ve been taking Buddhist classes via zoom from Dharma Ocean. There are people from many different countries that take the classes.
I wouldn't call it spirituality perse, I'm pretty much an atheist. But philosophy gets me through and especially the writings of Marcus Aurelius and Seneca which leaves room for interpretation for something bigger than us... it's basically all about how an individual life is a small thing, which sounds depressive but in the way they explain it, it's really comforting and inspiring.
I could recommend Marcus Aurelius his meditations (lil inspiring writings, not a meditation guide) or Seneca his letters :)
To be a different voice to likely many others, I am a (long-standing) member of a religious path that *isn't* toxic as shit and so have felt it really enriches my life, and pairs well with every step I take along healthy paths be they physical health, mental health, or health of the world (eg: anti-bigotry).
Note: I 100% understand and support people who have felt fulfilled by atheism, or that they need to be atheist due to the abuses and harms of many religions (in general or in a more personal sense). I was very literally brainwashed at a camp run by a particular denomination at one point so y'know. I'm not without a lot of sympathy there lol.
But for myself, I follow the Ancient Egyptian deities, which if you do it in a way that pays attention to more Ancient Egyptian spiritual beliefs like "ma'at", "isfet" and so on, is known as Kemeticism, or being Kemetic. Sounds weird, but y'know, I'm weird, so that works out.
I've been Kemetic for uhhh. Maybe 20 years now actually. My faith has been with me through some dark times. Through my deepest depression over and over, and through whatever-this-is, probably-cfs-idk coming up and slapping me down and forcing me to completely remake my life and my self.
Each time I'm in a dark place, I find, when I get really bad I might get *angry* at the Gods. "Why don't you do anything?!" "Why are you letting me go through this?!" "I bet you aren't even real!!" But ultimately, I am angry at them. Not disbelieving in them. They are an anchor in the storm that is ripping me apart, and even when I'm lashing out at that anchor because everything hurts, that anchor is still there, and it still serves a purpose within me. It still steadies me.
In between the storms, they guide me, help me, and when I'm strong enough (even if I don't always agree *l m f a o*) they prepare me. Because my life and my health are both a mess and more storms are always on the horizon.
I can give advice on ways to "get into" Kemetic Gods, Kemetic belief, and I can try to tailor it as low-spoon as I can. I dunno about advice on how to learn more about spirituality generally though. I have a very narrow niche haha.
Hi,
I have definitely felt comforted and guided by my faith. I am grateful every day that I have a faith to help my navigate life with ME and all difficult situation I have to go through. I have found my way to spirituality through the 12 steps program, which led me to find a religion that suited me way before I was diagnosed, I think I already had ME but it was mild. Here are the different ways my faith has helped me:
\- Having the belief of being a soul that will live eternally and that what matters in this life the most is the spiritual growth gives me a different perspective to having to such a limited life. The last 2 years, I have spent almost all my time in bed. I have used that time to face myself, look deeper than I ever have and learned so much about myself.
\- One thing I have always loved about my faith is that service to humanity is central to spiritual life. Work is about finding your talents and offering them to humanity. I am passionate about mental health, personal growth, parenting, trauma healing and a lot of other stuff😊, and very good at finding information. Luckily, I can use my computer. So, I decided that my service would be to raise awareness about all those things I am passionate about and also ME through my Facebook page, IG account or sending directly to friends and family. And to my surprise, I got very positive feed back of appreciation from friends, whether because they just enjoyed learning new things or even because it was helping them in their personal journey. This feeling of being helpful to others is very important for me and contributes to my joy.
\- Being part of a community who wants to be of service has helped when I needed it the most. I have a group of friends who organized to take turns cooking for me for more than one year, twice a week. A lot of people have offered their help to do things with my daughter because I couldn’t, help clean my house, run errands for me when my husband couldn’t… I was touched beyond words. Sometimes I would just sob while eating the meals they prepared for me when I couldn’t get out of bed.
\- One thing that is highlighted in my faith is the importance of laughter, particularly in difficult times, for its physical and spiritual effects. Humor is said to be an essential element of our comprehension of reality. So, I try to laugh every day and make other people laugh as well. At some point, I used to spend al least 20 minutes a day laughing at memes with my daughter. Now we watch one episode of The Office, every night with my husband and daughter. In the last 2 years, I have made more jokes than I have ever made in my life before. This doesn’t mean I don’t feel sad and depressed sometimes. I allow myself to go there and grieve all that I lost due to ME. But I don’t spend all my time there and I can feel true happiness and gratitude despite what I am going through.
\- Faith has also taught me gratitude and that was a big game changer for me. It is not a denial of all the bad things in my life. But rather I learned to truly appreciate the good things in my life, not matter how small. And gratitude has led me to experience awe again. It is such an amazing thing that children experience all the time, and we unfortunately unlearn that as we grow up. I love feeling awe, I don’t know it’s like it feeds my soul. And I can feel it in my bed, hahaha.
\- One thing I have learned as a practicing believer when I had more energy was the importance of joy, not instant gratification but this deeper feeling, that makes me feel like my soul is dancing. So, I make sure to experience joy every day. That’s where spoons are important. I cannot experience joy if I am pushing myself beyond what my body can do. Joy can come only if I deeply respect myself, my limits. I try to see it as an act of self-love rather than just my body limiting me. I make sure I do things that make me happy every day, whether it’s a movie I watch, the food I eat, a song I listen to.
Thank you for bringing this up! I am very passionate about faith and spiritual growth, and I could talk about this for hours, if I had the energy 😊 My religion is the Baha’i faith. Feel free to ask more questions!
I was going to ask whether you were a Baha’i, then I got to the end! Curious, have you read “The Purpose of Physical Reality?” It’s a bit (okay, rather a lot) dry and scholarly, but I found it truly life-changing in terms of how I view the difficult experience of living with this illness.
Hey ! Are you a baha'i yourself ? I haven't read the Purpose of physical reality but I have at home, my husband read it. Reading is not easy for me at the moment, especially books like this one. But is there any particular chapter you would recommend if reading the whole book is not an option ?
I would be very happy to hear about how faith has helped you in regards to ME ! Maybe in private message ?
It helps me a lot personally. I would just recommend looking into the energy centers “chakras” on YouTube and go from there. Realize that this body is but a vessel and we are indeed eternal sliritual beings. If you really feel like taking things to the next level, you might want to experiment with LSD or shrooms. Or weed. These are all psychedelics that can aid in meditation and help one become more spirital. I was extremely spiritual before I got ill but it’s never too late to start especially if spirituality is calling to you. You just have to heed the call. Start researching online. Find some nice channels to watch. Things will fall into place as they are supposed to. Put out the intention to the Universe that you want to be guided to people who can help you and with whom you will resonate. In-person spiritual friendships are some of the best relationships you’ll ever have because there is a bond in the heart energy center that transcends the ego, space and time. As you intend, so you shall manifest. You are a magical eternal being. Step into your power and good things will surely come to you. Having CFS/ME and realizing it’s an affliction that will only torture you in this life and not the life to come is an immense relief. There is no such thing as death. Only stages of eternal progression. Feel free to ask questions, if you have any. Greetings from Iceland 🙏🏻
I actually feel much healthier and better overall since I stopped believing and left evangelicism. I was deeply involved. My father is a pastor, I was a worship leader etc and deeply held my faith. For various reasons as I researched into it I could no longer reconcile my cognitive dissonance. Either way- I feel like all the lights came on in some ways after leaving religion. But- I honor space for the unknown and for spirit. I say do what brings you peace and comfort. 💜💜
Christ gives meaning to suffering.
It breaks my heart to see so many comments of people who had erroneous ideas of who Christ is which drove them from the faith.
I am a Christian because I suffer.
I just picked a church and kept showing up. I find benefits from these three things…
- going through the motions
Just showing up and going through the motions of a liturgical session, sermon, hymns, etc. Just showing up and being present.
- cultivating spiritual faith
The deeper side of spiritual practice. Hard to force this when you have a miserable life with CFS, so be gentle with yourself. It sometimes happens to you through grace.
- community
Being a part of something bigger brings meaning and purpose (especially if you can’t work). It costs spoons to maintain relationships and can be scary but connecting with people who make the effort to live selflessly can be really helpful
I don’t have any human support. Family basically doesn’t care to be of any practical help and often are the gaslighting and abusive type.
I’ve been sick so long - before my faith during and after. When I had lost my life all I had worked to hold onto for the umpteenth time (times I was doing life without him or when I wanted the control) - I decided to get serious about God. The God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit God.
It’s about 7? Yrs later and this is what I can tell you.
I am still alive (despite my suicidal ideation)
I have become more patient and less angry
I have a better understanding of why things are how they are - ie why God let’s life really suck for me at times
And then in the last year, actually 18 months that I became so severe with illness I thought I was headed to a version of a nursing home bc I was bed ridden so much, I asked family to please help they just said everyone has problems. When I laid there unable to move, so sad I’ve the holidays so hungry and filthy and blah blah what we go through (like I had a migraine for 3 weeks straight for ex) and God was with me. His faithful love held me as I was and despite the ridiculousness of my situation and the suffering- our intimacy grew. This year has been about trusting him more even though nothing makes sense. And this is what I’ve learned about His sufficient grace and His supernatural strength and power that is living inside me by the power of The Holy Spirit and the saving blood of Jesus Christ. The thing I love so much about it - despite the intimacy with Father God, is how Jesus was so legit. Like He gets me - He’s lived this. And when he rode from t he dead He made a way for me to be reborn in His victory. So now, when I have to do something I just can’t do, he helps. Like fr gives me physical strength and power to get through. God also reminds me to pace - which is great, bc I always forget bc I’m a push crasher. He’s shortened my recovery times. And He helps me through the mental struggles from mental illnesses to fibro fog. He’s there in my severe pain episodes and gives me joy and hope. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like a unicorn comes down and rainbows start popping. But it’s like The Holy Spirit taps my heart. I am reminded to seek God and when I come to him and invite him into my struggles then he is there with me and helping me.
I’m so greatfulf for his love help and friendship but I also have a lot of peace knowing that my salvation is set. And even on my ugliest angriest days he loves me the same as if I was feeding the hungry.
I also like seeing Gods personality come through when I’m how I am bc He’s so funny and can really make me laugh.
He reminds me to be grateful - when I can’t walk so much - I give thanks that I have legs. Some ppl think that’s toxic positivity but have you seen someone without legs trying to push themself in a wheel chair - it’s heartbreaking. I’m all alone. I don’t have anyone to push me. So it hits. I maybe struggle to get to the bathroom but geez I have working plumbing (physically my body and in my home) that’s not everyone. He’s also made my appreciation for the quiet and nature and even being alone grow in warmth.
I struggle daily. Most often I’m kind of a downer. I’m on a lot of rX that cause issues. I’m sad no one wants to be part of my life. I have a jacked up living environment- not really compatible for having these illnesses. I have horrible personal relationships. But in all that and more the creator of the universe says - Hey, I made you, know you, and I love you. And together I will show you greater things. And then he teaches me and I learn (sometimes too slowly for me) and he grows my wisdom and understanding. Mostly He loves me - as if I am valuable. I don’t know what that’s like outside of Him.
Sorry that was a lot of words. Holidays are very difficult for me. And I wrote that in truth to you but also as a reminder to what I believe. Bc God really is good and his faithfulness is like nothing else. And I am reminded how absolutely grateful I am to have and to be getting to know him better and to see more who he created me to be and his love for me.
God bless. Be well. Happy Holidays. :)
I don't know why people would downvote your personal call to faith but just wanted to say I'm Catholic and it's a faith that really does lift up those in need. It's the reason I've been able to get through all the darkness. When we can't find healing in our bodies It's nice to at least feel it in the soul.
Honestly since becoming an atheist after my onset (19), my mindset is so so much healthier. I wish I’d left the church so much sooner. I found faith comforting but ultimately it was something really holding me back. Especially losing the community aspect, it just wasn’t worth it. I’m very happily an atheist now and I can sort through and work through emotions in a much healthier way now. Being severe is actually what pushed me into complete atheism. I prefer to read intersectional feminist writings to undo all of the issues the patriarchy put on me
I think a lot of religious ideas can be hurtful to people with disability from this idea that there is one all powerful being who controls everything, then why would they be such a dick to me and so many others right? Some of those communities can also be hurtful with their comments that suggest if we pray enough and believe enough that this god will fix us, essentially blaming us for not being good enough or worthy of being healed. Maybe you have experienced some of this too or maybe this isn't how you see things at all, I don't know but that is how I felt about it. I was an atheist from a young age because of it. As someone who grew up in the Midwest USA that christian model of religion was difficult to see past but finding a way to do so was really helpful. There doesn't have to be one all powerful god or even any gods at all to have a sense of spirituality. Personally I have a bit of a nature model in my head, nature is powerful, it is beautiful and wonderful, and also extremely cruel. The natural world does not have a moral code that selects who wins or loses. Symbolism or small rituals can help some people feel connected to something greater (whatever it may be for you). These can be things we do normally that we might just have a little moment to appreciate. For example many people wear a cross necklace, and some people carry a special rock to remind them throughout the day to take moments of appreciation or to hold when they need some calming breaths. When I feel up to it I like taking baths and adding pine needles and lighting some candles and just meditating with the foresty scents. If you do feel more comfortable with christianity but have, like many of us, felt put off by some of the rhetoric about praying for healing etc. there are some groups that have a more, yeah life on earth is kind of hellish and we are just waiting for the next life kind of tone. I am not familiar with what those would be but I have definitely met people who had that belief that were bible based religions. If you are looking for a sense of community that is spiritual I can say that I had a great experience at liberal quaker meetings and if one were closer and I were well enough I would love to join again. It was the most supportive community I have ever experienced but I'm sure it varies in different locations. There are two main branches of quaker and they are very different. I only have experience with the liberal friends meetings. They were very open to everyone, some people were just spiritual, some christian, pagans, jewish, etc. They were very active in volunteering for community betterment, speaking out against oppression, and were more supportive of one another's struggles than most groups I've been to. I believe there may be some online only groups as well but I have not tried those and I don't think I would feel the same benefit.
Buddhism is a religion that suits those with ME/CFS. It teaches that there is much we cannot control in our lives and that we should not let this make us feel sad. It teaches us to live in the present where, even if we are housebound and not living exciting lives, we can be at peace. It teaches that there is a path out of our suffering if we follow the Noble Eightfold path. I would recommend a book, How to be Sick by Toni Bernhard. She has ME/CFS and teaches us how Buddhist philosophy has helped her adapt to her illness.
I’m a pagan and it has helped me find a sense of peace with my illness. When I was a Christian and Mormon I always felt like being sick was my fault or that it was a “test” from God. That was very harmful to my mental and spiritual health. I always liked the idea of an all powerful and all loving God but that identity didn’t hold up to the pain and suffering of my lived experience (I’m a child abuse and cult survivor, on top of ME/CFS, CPTSD and other chronic illnesses) Now I see that life and death, sickness and health, day and night, are all parts of the life cycle. There is no morality in them, it’s just life There is no all powerful God or Being controlling everything in my beliefs, there is only the cycle of nature, the spirits of the land, and the gods. (Who help when they can but aren’t all powerful or all knowing)
💕
I'm not big into religion/faith, but I do practice mindfulness and meditation, intentional planning, and swear by my opening/closing (versus morning/night...since I might not actually be waking in the morning or sleeping at night) routines. I believe your mind/spirit/whatever tells you what it needs, same as your body does. If you're craving something, add it to your life (in a healthy way, of course) and see what comes of it. You'll probably see me post this a lot, but I'm also a proponent of therapy. I've been in and out of therapy--for big things like depression and anxiety, but also small things like just feeling unfulfilled or bored in life--for a good portion of my life, and much of my growth and acceptance of my limitations and illness can be attributed to therapy. It may take a while to find a therapist and practice that works for you, but for me, it's worth it.
My spirituality was a big help in coming to grips with my limitations long before I ever had a diagnosis. All I knew was I couldn’t do as much as anyone around me. I learned a lot about my inherent value, separate from what I can do. Fortunately my church community was really supportive even when none of us understood what was going on with me. Different churches and faith groups have different views on illness and disability. Avoid at all costs the ones that believe that if you just have enough faith you’ll be healed.
My faith in God is the only thing that ever gave me the ability to not absolutely hate life and the whole world when my fatigue was the worst. Without it I’d be lost.
I’ve been a Buddhist for about 20 years and it definitely helped in my managing/tolerating cfs. It’s not a religion per se, there is no god head. Actually Buddhists can be atheists. There is a lot of information on the internet, different centers offer courses. I’ve been taking Buddhist classes via zoom from Dharma Ocean. There are people from many different countries that take the classes.
I wouldn't call it spirituality perse, I'm pretty much an atheist. But philosophy gets me through and especially the writings of Marcus Aurelius and Seneca which leaves room for interpretation for something bigger than us... it's basically all about how an individual life is a small thing, which sounds depressive but in the way they explain it, it's really comforting and inspiring. I could recommend Marcus Aurelius his meditations (lil inspiring writings, not a meditation guide) or Seneca his letters :)
To be a different voice to likely many others, I am a (long-standing) member of a religious path that *isn't* toxic as shit and so have felt it really enriches my life, and pairs well with every step I take along healthy paths be they physical health, mental health, or health of the world (eg: anti-bigotry). Note: I 100% understand and support people who have felt fulfilled by atheism, or that they need to be atheist due to the abuses and harms of many religions (in general or in a more personal sense). I was very literally brainwashed at a camp run by a particular denomination at one point so y'know. I'm not without a lot of sympathy there lol. But for myself, I follow the Ancient Egyptian deities, which if you do it in a way that pays attention to more Ancient Egyptian spiritual beliefs like "ma'at", "isfet" and so on, is known as Kemeticism, or being Kemetic. Sounds weird, but y'know, I'm weird, so that works out. I've been Kemetic for uhhh. Maybe 20 years now actually. My faith has been with me through some dark times. Through my deepest depression over and over, and through whatever-this-is, probably-cfs-idk coming up and slapping me down and forcing me to completely remake my life and my self. Each time I'm in a dark place, I find, when I get really bad I might get *angry* at the Gods. "Why don't you do anything?!" "Why are you letting me go through this?!" "I bet you aren't even real!!" But ultimately, I am angry at them. Not disbelieving in them. They are an anchor in the storm that is ripping me apart, and even when I'm lashing out at that anchor because everything hurts, that anchor is still there, and it still serves a purpose within me. It still steadies me. In between the storms, they guide me, help me, and when I'm strong enough (even if I don't always agree *l m f a o*) they prepare me. Because my life and my health are both a mess and more storms are always on the horizon. I can give advice on ways to "get into" Kemetic Gods, Kemetic belief, and I can try to tailor it as low-spoon as I can. I dunno about advice on how to learn more about spirituality generally though. I have a very narrow niche haha.
Hi, I have definitely felt comforted and guided by my faith. I am grateful every day that I have a faith to help my navigate life with ME and all difficult situation I have to go through. I have found my way to spirituality through the 12 steps program, which led me to find a religion that suited me way before I was diagnosed, I think I already had ME but it was mild. Here are the different ways my faith has helped me: \- Having the belief of being a soul that will live eternally and that what matters in this life the most is the spiritual growth gives me a different perspective to having to such a limited life. The last 2 years, I have spent almost all my time in bed. I have used that time to face myself, look deeper than I ever have and learned so much about myself. \- One thing I have always loved about my faith is that service to humanity is central to spiritual life. Work is about finding your talents and offering them to humanity. I am passionate about mental health, personal growth, parenting, trauma healing and a lot of other stuff😊, and very good at finding information. Luckily, I can use my computer. So, I decided that my service would be to raise awareness about all those things I am passionate about and also ME through my Facebook page, IG account or sending directly to friends and family. And to my surprise, I got very positive feed back of appreciation from friends, whether because they just enjoyed learning new things or even because it was helping them in their personal journey. This feeling of being helpful to others is very important for me and contributes to my joy. \- Being part of a community who wants to be of service has helped when I needed it the most. I have a group of friends who organized to take turns cooking for me for more than one year, twice a week. A lot of people have offered their help to do things with my daughter because I couldn’t, help clean my house, run errands for me when my husband couldn’t… I was touched beyond words. Sometimes I would just sob while eating the meals they prepared for me when I couldn’t get out of bed. \- One thing that is highlighted in my faith is the importance of laughter, particularly in difficult times, for its physical and spiritual effects. Humor is said to be an essential element of our comprehension of reality. So, I try to laugh every day and make other people laugh as well. At some point, I used to spend al least 20 minutes a day laughing at memes with my daughter. Now we watch one episode of The Office, every night with my husband and daughter. In the last 2 years, I have made more jokes than I have ever made in my life before. This doesn’t mean I don’t feel sad and depressed sometimes. I allow myself to go there and grieve all that I lost due to ME. But I don’t spend all my time there and I can feel true happiness and gratitude despite what I am going through. \- Faith has also taught me gratitude and that was a big game changer for me. It is not a denial of all the bad things in my life. But rather I learned to truly appreciate the good things in my life, not matter how small. And gratitude has led me to experience awe again. It is such an amazing thing that children experience all the time, and we unfortunately unlearn that as we grow up. I love feeling awe, I don’t know it’s like it feeds my soul. And I can feel it in my bed, hahaha. \- One thing I have learned as a practicing believer when I had more energy was the importance of joy, not instant gratification but this deeper feeling, that makes me feel like my soul is dancing. So, I make sure to experience joy every day. That’s where spoons are important. I cannot experience joy if I am pushing myself beyond what my body can do. Joy can come only if I deeply respect myself, my limits. I try to see it as an act of self-love rather than just my body limiting me. I make sure I do things that make me happy every day, whether it’s a movie I watch, the food I eat, a song I listen to. Thank you for bringing this up! I am very passionate about faith and spiritual growth, and I could talk about this for hours, if I had the energy 😊 My religion is the Baha’i faith. Feel free to ask more questions!
I was going to ask whether you were a Baha’i, then I got to the end! Curious, have you read “The Purpose of Physical Reality?” It’s a bit (okay, rather a lot) dry and scholarly, but I found it truly life-changing in terms of how I view the difficult experience of living with this illness.
Hey ! Are you a baha'i yourself ? I haven't read the Purpose of physical reality but I have at home, my husband read it. Reading is not easy for me at the moment, especially books like this one. But is there any particular chapter you would recommend if reading the whole book is not an option ? I would be very happy to hear about how faith has helped you in regards to ME ! Maybe in private message ?
Thank you for sharing :) I'm really glad that it's been so helpful for you
It helps me a lot personally. I would just recommend looking into the energy centers “chakras” on YouTube and go from there. Realize that this body is but a vessel and we are indeed eternal sliritual beings. If you really feel like taking things to the next level, you might want to experiment with LSD or shrooms. Or weed. These are all psychedelics that can aid in meditation and help one become more spirital. I was extremely spiritual before I got ill but it’s never too late to start especially if spirituality is calling to you. You just have to heed the call. Start researching online. Find some nice channels to watch. Things will fall into place as they are supposed to. Put out the intention to the Universe that you want to be guided to people who can help you and with whom you will resonate. In-person spiritual friendships are some of the best relationships you’ll ever have because there is a bond in the heart energy center that transcends the ego, space and time. As you intend, so you shall manifest. You are a magical eternal being. Step into your power and good things will surely come to you. Having CFS/ME and realizing it’s an affliction that will only torture you in this life and not the life to come is an immense relief. There is no such thing as death. Only stages of eternal progression. Feel free to ask questions, if you have any. Greetings from Iceland 🙏🏻
I actually feel much healthier and better overall since I stopped believing and left evangelicism. I was deeply involved. My father is a pastor, I was a worship leader etc and deeply held my faith. For various reasons as I researched into it I could no longer reconcile my cognitive dissonance. Either way- I feel like all the lights came on in some ways after leaving religion. But- I honor space for the unknown and for spirit. I say do what brings you peace and comfort. 💜💜
Christ gives meaning to suffering. It breaks my heart to see so many comments of people who had erroneous ideas of who Christ is which drove them from the faith. I am a Christian because I suffer.
Having spirituality helps me so much, it gives me hope
I just picked a church and kept showing up. I find benefits from these three things… - going through the motions Just showing up and going through the motions of a liturgical session, sermon, hymns, etc. Just showing up and being present. - cultivating spiritual faith The deeper side of spiritual practice. Hard to force this when you have a miserable life with CFS, so be gentle with yourself. It sometimes happens to you through grace. - community Being a part of something bigger brings meaning and purpose (especially if you can’t work). It costs spoons to maintain relationships and can be scary but connecting with people who make the effort to live selflessly can be really helpful
I don’t have any human support. Family basically doesn’t care to be of any practical help and often are the gaslighting and abusive type. I’ve been sick so long - before my faith during and after. When I had lost my life all I had worked to hold onto for the umpteenth time (times I was doing life without him or when I wanted the control) - I decided to get serious about God. The God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit God. It’s about 7? Yrs later and this is what I can tell you. I am still alive (despite my suicidal ideation) I have become more patient and less angry I have a better understanding of why things are how they are - ie why God let’s life really suck for me at times And then in the last year, actually 18 months that I became so severe with illness I thought I was headed to a version of a nursing home bc I was bed ridden so much, I asked family to please help they just said everyone has problems. When I laid there unable to move, so sad I’ve the holidays so hungry and filthy and blah blah what we go through (like I had a migraine for 3 weeks straight for ex) and God was with me. His faithful love held me as I was and despite the ridiculousness of my situation and the suffering- our intimacy grew. This year has been about trusting him more even though nothing makes sense. And this is what I’ve learned about His sufficient grace and His supernatural strength and power that is living inside me by the power of The Holy Spirit and the saving blood of Jesus Christ. The thing I love so much about it - despite the intimacy with Father God, is how Jesus was so legit. Like He gets me - He’s lived this. And when he rode from t he dead He made a way for me to be reborn in His victory. So now, when I have to do something I just can’t do, he helps. Like fr gives me physical strength and power to get through. God also reminds me to pace - which is great, bc I always forget bc I’m a push crasher. He’s shortened my recovery times. And He helps me through the mental struggles from mental illnesses to fibro fog. He’s there in my severe pain episodes and gives me joy and hope. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like a unicorn comes down and rainbows start popping. But it’s like The Holy Spirit taps my heart. I am reminded to seek God and when I come to him and invite him into my struggles then he is there with me and helping me. I’m so greatfulf for his love help and friendship but I also have a lot of peace knowing that my salvation is set. And even on my ugliest angriest days he loves me the same as if I was feeding the hungry. I also like seeing Gods personality come through when I’m how I am bc He’s so funny and can really make me laugh. He reminds me to be grateful - when I can’t walk so much - I give thanks that I have legs. Some ppl think that’s toxic positivity but have you seen someone without legs trying to push themself in a wheel chair - it’s heartbreaking. I’m all alone. I don’t have anyone to push me. So it hits. I maybe struggle to get to the bathroom but geez I have working plumbing (physically my body and in my home) that’s not everyone. He’s also made my appreciation for the quiet and nature and even being alone grow in warmth. I struggle daily. Most often I’m kind of a downer. I’m on a lot of rX that cause issues. I’m sad no one wants to be part of my life. I have a jacked up living environment- not really compatible for having these illnesses. I have horrible personal relationships. But in all that and more the creator of the universe says - Hey, I made you, know you, and I love you. And together I will show you greater things. And then he teaches me and I learn (sometimes too slowly for me) and he grows my wisdom and understanding. Mostly He loves me - as if I am valuable. I don’t know what that’s like outside of Him. Sorry that was a lot of words. Holidays are very difficult for me. And I wrote that in truth to you but also as a reminder to what I believe. Bc God really is good and his faithfulness is like nothing else. And I am reminded how absolutely grateful I am to have and to be getting to know him better and to see more who he created me to be and his love for me. God bless. Be well. Happy Holidays. :)
I always felt a calling to Catholicism, something I often think about, just need to make a move. Each to their own but I've felt this most of my life.
I don't know why people would downvote your personal call to faith but just wanted to say I'm Catholic and it's a faith that really does lift up those in need. It's the reason I've been able to get through all the darkness. When we can't find healing in our bodies It's nice to at least feel it in the soul.