Clothing

Corsets: for probably every woman in America the thought of sinching something around your ribcage until you can hardly breath would be unimaginable. This week I was watching "The Young Victoria" (good movie by the way. I was enamoured by the excellent costumes and beautiful music. In one scene the young princess is getting dressed - layer upon layer of fabric and of course the tight fitting corset. I have heard horror stories of how women would often pass out because their corset was so tight they weren't getting enough oxygen to keep their brain functioning, or how others would have broken or deformed ribs because of years of manipulating their bone structure into a smaller corset to create a tiny waist. CRAZY!!!!

The demands of fashion change over the years and continents, but one thing remains: women (and men) will go to great lengths to look "good", and often cause pain on themselves in the name of beauty. "Pain is the price of Beauty" some may say.

This brings me to another pain managment tool: COMFORTABLE clothes! For those of us in constant pain, choosing to go against the mentality of pain for beauty is important. When I am hurting the last thing I need is to cause more pain ad discomfort by wearing resrictive or uncomfortable clothes! Sometimes I find that I am super irritated with what I am wearing only to realize later that what really was happening was my pain level was rising and I didn't even know it - all I knew was that I hated my clothes! It may mean taking the time to go through your closet and toss out items that are uncomfortable, or finding ways to look nice without the price of pain. I am still learning that certain clothing items just don't work with my pain level, and that is ok. And there are many tricks that I am learning to help look my best when going out - without looking like I am always in my PJs! One option is to wear tunic length tops or even a short dress over maernity jeans because then the waistline on the jeans won't hurt me. The key is to find out what types of clothing are most comfortable for you and then find ways to look presentable in them. But when I am at home - my PJs are almost always on, because nothing beats the comfort of cozy flannel Pjs!