Good morning. Happy New Year! I took a few weeks of personal care and relaxation. I hope this finds you well.

Despite having felt mostly well for quite a while, I recently had two very bad pain flare days. I haven’t had my period since October (again, my docs think I’m starting menopause), but I feel like my body still goes through the motions.

We’ll see what today brings.

I have a very good friend who is going through her own pain (not Endometriosis, but oh so much pain), and has been reading. One coping mechanism she has learned is replacing the word “pain” with “bananas.” So when we talk, I try to honor that, and it’s fun. And when I was dying yesterday an the day before, I kept thinking of ‘naners.

What do you do to cope? Do you have a favorite mantra? Prayer? Self-care ritual?