I did a painting for Fibromyalgia Awareness day May 12, I call the artwork "The Cumbersome Weight of Fibromyalgia." The painting done on a 16x20 stretch canvas using watercolors, gel pens and glitter.I know first-hand all about fibromyalgia, I been dealing with it for years. I drew a woman because majority who has it are woman (80-90%). It also occurs in men and children of all ethnic backgrounds. Over 12 million Americans have fibromyalgia the most common chronic pain condition. Fibromyalgia can strain marriages and relationships too because of the chronic pain, fatigue, and frustration of the disease. Loneliness, anxiety, and depression are factors in the equation when dealing with this disease. I portray the woman sitting down, alone facing the big cloud of fibromyalgia over her. Fibromyalgia has been around on record since early 1800's. It was termed rheumatism. It was not until 1976, finally called fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia defined as “a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, tenderness and sensitivities.’ Fibromyalgia can make someone look normal on the outside but inside they are a rack of over stimulus nerves and pain. It can be difficult to diagnose because there are no lab tests to really pinpoint the disease. Here are some test done by rheumatologist; tender points (18 tender points), WPI (widespread pain index 19 areas of the body), SS (symptom severity scale), blood test, MRI, CT scans, sleep studies, psychological exams, allergies tests, plus signs and symptoms (lasting more than 3 months) are all ways that helps diagnosis if you have it or not. Only problem it takes time, effort, and money … on the average it takes about 5 years to complete to get a correct diagnosis. Inside the bubble on the painting, I wrote in all the symptoms that fibromyalgia carries. (Example: insomnia, IBS, chronic pain, muscle twitches, RLS, TMJ, stiff muscles, brain fog, fatigue, persistent headaches, mitral valve prolapse, sensitivities to foods, temperature, noise, energy and weather, etc...) I wanted to show pain in the painting, so I did research and technology using special cameras shows pain in different colors bright blues, greens, and reds at the site of the pain. The sharp edges shown in my painting represents the pain that fibromyalgia causes. The webs of glitter I added to the artwork… is to show the nerves and muscles all inflamed. At present, there is no cure for fibromyalgia. Please give a thumb up for all Fibromyalgia sufferers. They so need the support. Thank you for viewing my artwork.
Research: National Fibromyalgia Association, National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association, International Support Fibromyalgia Network, American College of Rheumatology and American Chronic Pain Association.

Going through tough times? Anxiety and stress pulling you down? I been there too many times. I was so stress out; I didn’t know where to turn to find inner peace. Finally, I was at my ends, I grab the only place to give me that peace I so desperately needed… my holy bible. I had to find fast answers on how to calm my jumpy nerves before they made me go crazy or worst sick. Here are some bible verses I listed below I memorized when tension and stress is at an all-time HIGH in my life. I hope they help you as much as they helped me.

• “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters. He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name sake Jesus Christ.” Psalm 23: 2-3
• “Let the peace of God rule in your heart.” Colossians 3:15
• “Rest in the Lord. Wait patiently for Him; fret not thyself.” Psalm 37:7
• “Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavily laden, and I God will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
• “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14
• “Peace I give unto you…Let not your heart be troubled.” John 14:27
• “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
• “Cast all of your anxieties upon the Lord because He care for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
• “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6
• “I God know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
  
• “In God I trust; I will not be afraid.” Psalm 56:11
• “If you are still worried about what tomorrow could bring; “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough troubles of its own.” Matthew 6:34
  
• “When I am afraid, I will Trust in You God.” Psalms 56:3
• “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor daily, so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of TRUTH and the body armor of God’s RIGHTENOUSNESS. For shoes, put on the PEACE that come from the bible so you will be fully prepared.  Hold up the shield of FAITH to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on SALVATION as your helmet and take the sword of the SPIRIT which is the WORD of God.” Ephesians 6:13-17
• “So do not fear, for I God am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
  

 
Do you have any bible verses that gets you through stressful times? Please share. Sending peace, hope and love dear friends your way.

 How many times you needed a bible verse ASAP to find instant relief. I hope these helps.

• When in Sorrow:  Read John chapter 14
• People Fail You: Read All of Psalm 27
• Worried: Read Matthew 6:19-34
• In Danger: Read All of Psalm 91
• Feeling Alone: Read all of Psalm 139
• Faith Needs Help: Read Hebrew chapter 11
• Lonely and Fearful: Read all of Psalm 23
• Angry: Read 1 Corinthians chapter 13
• Depressed: Read Romans 8:31-39 or All of Psalm 27
• Looking for Peace: Matthew 11:25-30
• Traveling Safe Trip: Read all of Psalm 121
• Dealing with Selfish Thoughts: Read all of Psalm 67
• Need Encouragement: Read Joshua Chapter 1
• Finances Issues: Read Mark Chapter 10
• Dealing This Others: Read Romans Chapter 12
• Dealing with New Opportunities Read Isiah Chapter 55
• Finding Happiness: Read Colossians 3:12-27
• Be Fruitful: John Chapter 15
• No Money: Read Psalm 37
• Unkind Actions from Others: Read John chapter 15
• Discourage Read Psalm 126
• Getting Grounded: Psalm 19

I hope these bible verses will help deal with any emergency you are facing at present.  Peace, hope and love dear friends.

Flowers have such enthusiasm for life. We can learn so much from them. We need to build that same kind of enthusiasm that believes there is always something new and better ahead. It is creative faith that never runs out. Just believing by “Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth into those things which are before …Philippians 3:13 I hope you are full of enthusiasm today by being renewed daily in the spirit of the mind. Remember As a man thinketh he becomes.”  Peace, hope and love dear friends.

Worrying, anxiety and stress can trigger illnesses if you do not control these emotions. The word worry comes from an Old Anglo Saxon word called “wyrgan” that means to choke or strangle. If you really think about it worrying really fits its name.  Worry chokes our hope, happiness and drains us. God has put in our bodies a mechanism that prepares us for “fight or flight” reaction when danger threatens. If we keep thinking about problem and harboring the issue that same chemical can cause our brains to release adrenaline and other chemicals into our system. When that happens, it increases our blood pressure, raises sugar levels and makes our pulse race. Making our body having a harder time to slow down when we keep replaying the problem repeatedly in our minds. This can lead to your body yelling DANGER causing high blood pressure, heart attacks, digestive disorders, headaches, back pain, neck pain, depression just naming a few. It’s not until we can calm down and just breathe to bring ourselves back to positive thinking, letting go and relaxing ourselves. God talks about the danger of worrying in Philippians 4:6, Matthew 6:25-34 and Proverbs 12:25.  So how do we deal with worry, anxiety and stress? John chapter 14 shows how to deal with worry and stress by trusting God to get you through this time. Need an example read of God’s help in Hebrews 4:15. How many times does God say in the bible DON’T BE AFRAID? Answer: 365 times. That is a daily 365 days a year reminder from God to live without worrying or fear. Dr. Dean Ornish in his book Reversing Heart Disease nails it when he said, “Never underestimate the power of a positive attitude.” Stop worrying and let it go. Peace, hope and love dear friends.

Many of us are feeling confused, anxious, stressed and worried dealing with this present crisis. Have you looked at the other side of the coin and ask yourself, “what good can come out of this?” Don’t get me wrong the whole thing has been frightening and very stressful for all of us, our family/friends and our community and even our own nerves. When disaster strikes, there is always hope, if we keep calm and see the good. Here are some positive good to come from this experience.

1. Family bond.  Have your family ties gotten stronger while being quarantine together? By playing, cooking/baking, eating, just having fun together. I know being together 24/7 can be stressful but did the good times outweigh the bad?  You stuck it out because you are family.
2. Relationships. Have your marriage/ friendships got stronger through this?  Have you been talking more or just finding that special spark that put you both together in the first place?  
3. How about your health. Have you started to take better care of yourself through better hygiene, eating healthier or just taking time to relax?  Exercising or taking time to get out and enjoy the sunshine.
4. More Creative. Learning a new hobby, writing a book, playing in your garden, working on something you been putting off. So much joy and relaxation come out from doing something you love.
5. Organizing. How about organizing that closet you been putting off, painting a room, tossing out items that you don’t need. Just giving your home some love and releasing stuff that is pulling you down.
6. Mental Detox. Taking the time to grief, letting go of toxic lifestyles or relationships? Learning to forgive ourselves or others. Learning to love again. Finding inner peace within.
7.   What about your faith? Has your faith gotten stronger with God? Have you started praying more? Reading the bible or just learning all about God’s love and goodness? Knowing He has been with you through all of this. Having the confidences and faith that you can make it through this crisis with God by your side.
8.  How about charity to others?  Taking the time to call or connect with family and friends you have not contacted in years. Being compassionate to others by distancing yourself or just being nice by smiling or saying hello. Be thankful for each other. Since the crisis, I believe we all found out we are all in this together. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor. Young or old. Married or not. Everyone been affected in some way or fashion.
9. Being thankful. Thankful for a roof over your head, water to drink, a bed to sleep in, food to eat,  thankful  for another morning, family/friends to bond with, etc…Thanking God for being with us through it all.
10. Fill your life with joy. Focus on the good and happy aspects of your life. Visualize joy and goodness daily.  Those who love and laugh and believe will get through this.

  Well that is my list. I bet you could add more? We can say all the negative things but in reality, the positive always outweighs everything. With confidence, enthusiasm, encouragement and perseverance you are bound to win. With love and faith, you have the foundation to succeed through this. Keep on smiling. Peace, hope and love dear friends. Be safe and sending love through the internet to you all.