Relaxing is hard work for me, even when I try to find ways to make it easy. I find it hard to relax, not because I live a busy fast-paced life, but because my body seems to have forgotten how. It’s often difficult to immediately position myself in a way that is comfortable. Sometimes, because my pain levels are high and my body is tense as a result, moving suddenly or too much agitates my already uncomfortable body and may increase my pain. Even with meditation or other mindfulness activities, I can’t easily relax my mind either. It bounces from thought to thought about when I will be better or simply productive again.

Relaxing is the last thing in the world that should be hard work, but for me it is.