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My Hair Hurts. So No, I’m Not Doing a 12-Step Skincare Routine.

Its been a while whats been up guys? I’ll go. Nothing lol. Theres been pain nad appointments interspersed with some family fun, birthdays and its just so damn hot in the summer I dont do much, but it hasnt been all bad. I think I decided that I’m going to drop down to the free version of wordpress so I’m sorry if that messes with anyone’s formats or fonts. I’m just streamlining everything I can before the new school year. We are a month out for most schools going back. I’ll be around more once I get a routine.

So theres me, drop me a note let me know what this summer kept you busy doing. Now…

If you’ve never lived with chronic pain, “my hair hurts” probably sounds ridiculous.

But if you know…you know.

It’s not really the hair itself. It’s that strange feeling where your scalp is tender, your skin feels overstimulated, your clothes suddenly feel heavier, and every little sensation seems amplified. Even washing your face can feel like one task too many.

Welcome to another day of living in a body that likes to make up its own rules.

I Didn’t Always Need a Streamlined Routine

There was a time when I wore makeup almost every day.

I washed my face with Noxzema every morning and every night without thinking about it. Skincare was just part of my routine.

Then fibromyalgia, fatigue, and life happened.

What used to be automatic became another task that required energy I didn’t always have. I didn’t stop caring about my skinโ€”I just had to stop pretending I had the same energy I used to.

The Myth of the Perfect Routine

Everywhere you look, someone is telling you that you need a dozen products and a complicated routine to have healthy skin.

Meanwhile, I’m over here negotiating with myself to wash my face before bed.

There are days when lifting my arms to shampoo my hair feels exhausting. There are days when standing at the bathroom sink for five minutes is enough.

So no, I’m not doing a twelve-step skincare routine.

My Real-Life Routine

Most days, I wash my face with a gentle cleanser in the morning and before bed, then apply my Olay moisturizer.

That’s it.

Not because I don’t care, but because I’ve learned the best routine is the one I can actually stick with.

There are still days when even washing my face doesn’t happen, and I’ve stopped feeling guilty about that. Chronic illness doesn’t care about my to-do list, and guilt has never made me feel better.

My Bare-Minimum Routine

On high-pain days, I ask myself one question:

What’s the smallest thing I can do that will still help?

Usually that’s:

  • Wash my face with a gentle cleanserโ€”or even just rinse with water.
  • Apply moisturizer.
  • Wear sunscreen if I’m going outside.

Simple. Realistic. Sustainable.

Your Routine Should Serve You

People with chronic illnesses hear a lot of advice about what we “should” be doing.

Some days, just making it through the day is an accomplishment.

I’ve learned that consistency beats complexity every time. My skin doesn’t need twelve products. It needs a routine that works with the body I have today.

If today all you managed was washing your face and putting on some moisturizer, that’s a win.

If today all you managed was splashing your face with water because that’s all your body would allow, that’s okay too.

Self-care isn’t measured by how many bottles are on your bathroom counter.

It’s measured by finding a routine that’s sustainableโ€”even on the days when your hair hurts. Til next time guys, take care of yourselves, and each other and look for more George updates, they are all over the yard lol.

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Fibromyalgia Time Is a Completely Different Time Zone

I live in a time zone most people donโ€™t know exists.
It doesnโ€™t follow clocks, calendars, or common sense.
It does follow pain levels, fatigue spikes, and whether my nervous system has decided today is a โ€œno thoughts, just vibesโ€ kind of day.

Welcome to Fibromyalgia Time.


1. Five Minutes Can Take an Hour

In Fibromyalgia Time, a โ€œquick taskโ€ is a bold lie.

  • Showering
  • Getting dressed
  • Answering one email

Each looks like it should take five minutes. In reality, it includes:

  • A rest break
  • A mental pep talk
  • Forgetting what you were doing
  • Another rest break

Time stretches when pain shows up, and shrinks when energy disappears.


2. โ€œLaterโ€ Is a Vague Concept at Best

When I say โ€œIโ€™ll do it later,โ€ I donโ€™t mean today.
I also donโ€™t mean tomorrow.
I mean when my body allows it.

Fibromyalgia doesnโ€™t run on deadlines. It runs on:

  • Pain levels
  • Brain fog density
  • How hard my nervous system is spiraling

Later is not procrastination. Itโ€™s symptom-based scheduling.


3. Energy Expires Without Warning

Normal time assumes energy is steady.

Fibromyalgia Time says:

You can wake up feeling okay and hit empty before lunch.
You can plan carefully and still lose the day by 2 p.m.

Energy doesnโ€™t taper. It vanishes.
And when itโ€™s gone, the clock stops mattering.


4. Recovery Time Is Not Predictable

In normal time, rest has a formula:

In Fibromyalgia Time:

Recovery isnโ€™t linear.
Sometimes a nap helps.
Sometimes it does nothing.
Sometimes it makes things worse because now youโ€™re groggy and in pain.


5. Past Me and Present Me Are Not the Same Person

Fibromyalgia Time has no memory continuity.

Past Me:

  • Made plans
  • Overestimated capacity
  • Was wildly optimistic

Present Me:

  • Is negotiating with joints
  • Has three spoons left
  • Is offended by Past Meโ€™s confidence

Canceling plans isnโ€™t flakiness โ€” itโ€™s time travel without consent.


6. The Clock Keeps Moving Even When I Canโ€™t

This is the cruelest part.

The world doesnโ€™t pause when your body does.
Bills are still due.
Appointments still exist.
Expectations donโ€™t magically adjust.

Fibromyalgia Time moves slower inside your body โ€” but faster everywhere else.
That disconnect is exhausting all by itself.


7. Productivity Happens in Weird Bursts

Fibromyalgia doesnโ€™t believe in steady output.

Instead you get:

  • Sudden bursts of โ€œmust do everything NOWโ€
  • Followed by complete shutdown

Itโ€™s not a lack of motivation.
Itโ€™s a nervous system that dumps all available energy at once and then clocks out.


8. Rest Is Not Wasted Time (Even If It Looks Like It)

In normal time, rest is a reward.

In Fibromyalgia Time, rest is maintenance.

Lying down isnโ€™t laziness.
Doing less isnโ€™t failure.
Pausing is how you stay functional at all.

The clock might say you did โ€œnothing,โ€ but your body knows better.


9. Fibromyalgia Time Requires Translation

โ€œJust five more minutesโ€
โ€œCan you hurry?โ€
โ€œIt wonโ€™t take that longโ€

These phrases assume a shared timeline.

Weโ€™re not on the same clock โ€” and thatโ€™s not a moral failing.
Itโ€™s a medical reality.


10. Surviving Fibromyalgia Means Redefining Time Entirely

Success isnโ€™t measured in hours worked or tasks completed.

In Fibromyalgia Time, success looks like:

  • Listening to your body
  • Stopping before you crash
  • Adjusting expectations without self-blame

Youโ€™re not behind.
Youโ€™re just operating in a different time zone โ€” one that requires patience, flexibility, and a whole lot of self-compassion.

Til next time gang, take care of yourselves, and each other.



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Why Cold Wrecks My Body (and What Actually Helps)

Cold doesnโ€™t just make things uncomfortable.
It changes how my body functions.

When temperatures drop, my muscles tighten automatically, my joints stiffen faster, my pain threshold lowers, and my nervous system shifts into protection mode. Even before I move, my body is already bracing โ€” like itโ€™s expecting something bad to happen.

What helps:
I warm my body before I ask anything of it. Heat isnโ€™t a treat, itโ€™s a prerequisite. Heating pads, hot showers, warm drinks โ€” anything that tells my nervous system itโ€™s safe enough to stand down.


Cold also makes my muscles stay clenched โ€” especially my shoulders, neck, hips, and lower back. That constant tension creates soreness that doesnโ€™t feel earned and doesnโ€™t go away with rest alone.

What helps:
Targeted warmth and gentle movement. Not โ€œbundling up,โ€ but keeping the parts that guard the most actively warm. Slow stretching or light movement early prevents stiffness instead of fighting it later.


In winter, everything costs more energy. Getting dressed hurts more. Moving hurts more. Thinking hurts more. By noon, Iโ€™m exhausted and I havenโ€™t even done anything impressive.

What helps:
I move earlier and smaller. A little motion before the stiffness sets in keeps my body from locking up. This isnโ€™t exercise โ€” itโ€™s lubrication. Waiting until later usually means paying interest.


Cold doesnโ€™t just affect my body โ€” it stresses my nervous system. That means higher pain, lower tolerance, and less emotional bandwidth, even if nothing โ€œbadโ€ is happening.

What helps:
I treat cold days like high-stress days. Fewer plans. Fewer decisions. More quiet. Less pressure to perform. If my nervous system is already taxed, I donโ€™t pile more on top of it.


Winter also messes with expectations. I want to function the same way I do in warmer months, and my body refuses. That gap between expectation and reality is where frustration lives.

What helps:
I lower the bar before I hit it. Winter isnโ€™t the season for pushing limits โ€” itโ€™s the season for pacing. Needing more support when the environment is harsher isnโ€™t regression. Itโ€™s adaptation.


Cold doesnโ€™t mean Iโ€™m failing.
It means my body is responding to stress the way it was built to.

Winter raises the difficulty level โ€” and Iโ€™m allowed to adjust how I play the game. Til next time guys, take care of yourselves, and each other.

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Doctors who are helpful with Fibro, thats the real treasure to find…


Hi gang! I have some stuff to say about other topics but since its Fibromyalgia Awareness Month lets try and keep the Fibro convo going. Fibro’s a tough nut to crack when it comes to diagnosis because there’s no one-size-fits-all test that gives you a clear-cut answer. I totally get the frustration there. It’s crucial to team up with a doc who really knows their fibro stuff, one who listens to what you’re going through and doesn’t just slap everything under the fibro label. Sure, fatigue might be tied to fibro, but it could also signal something else lurking in the shadows. What if it’s a whole other issue that can be managed? It’s worth digging into. If your doc brushes off any of your worries, it’s time to find someone who takes you seriously. Seriously, advocate for yourself! Start by getting clued up on what you’re dealing with, arm yourself with info on what treatments are out there, what to watch out for, what might be red flags for other conditions. Sure, docs should be up to speed on all this stuff, but they’ve got a million and one things on their plate. You knowing your stuff gives you a leg up, at least you can point them in the right direction. Bring along logs of your symptoms, stuff you’ve tried, and hey, if you’ve found some golden nuggets of wisdom online, make sure they’re from a legit source. Doctors ain’t gonna take your brother’s buddy’s Facebook rant as gospel, and it just makes it tougher for the rest of us.

Ah, fibromyalgia, the mystical unicorn of medical conundrums, where symptoms are as clear as mud and diagnosing it feels like playing a round of medical bingo. Let’s paint the picture, you stroll into your doctor’s office armed with a laundry list of symptoms that could make even the most seasoned hypochondriac turn green with envy. But instead of the understanding you anticipated, you’re greeted with the classic eye-roll and the timeless response: ‘It’s probably just Fibro.’ Making you feel like its normal to hurt this way and you should just buck up and take it. You must be weak if you can’t handle it. Because, of course, who needs medical expertise when you’ve got stress to conveniently blame for every twinge and throb, am I right?

And when your doc finally has enough of your complaints they do the next predictable thing, referral so you are no longer their problem. The notorious medical dance โ€“ you know, where you hop from one specialist to another like a pinball in a machine, each one looking more perplexed than the last. “It’s just in your head,” they proclaim, as if that magically diminishes your pain, making it more… ethereal? Because obviously, feeling like you’ve been steamrolled by a freight train is just a whimsical creation of your imagination, not a serious condition worthy of genuine concern.

But fear not, dear patient, for there’s always the ever-popular misdiagnosis game to keep things interesting. Is it chronic fatigue syndrome? Is it rheumatoid arthritis? Is it just your body’s way of telling you that it’s time to invest in a better mattress? Who knows! It’s like playing medical roulette, except instead of winning a jackpot, you get a lifetime supply of confusion and frustration.

So, here’s to you, fibromyalgia warriors, bravely battling through the medical maze armed with nothing but your pain and a healthy dose of sarcasm. After all, if laughter is the best medicine, then you’re practically immortal.
Til next time gang, take care of yourself, and each other!

I forgot to add, George says ‘hey whats up?’ He’s off tearing shit up at the moment but he’s not going away lol.