Start with One Small Thing

With fibro, it's easy to get overwhelmed. It's easy to do too much. So often, I'm tempted to try to make a lot of changes all at once and try to fix a bunch of things. I know what I need to do, but it's the implementation that I struggle with. A flare can knock me off my game and then it's a struggle to regain lost ground.

That's where starting with one thing has become so helpful. I've been trying to figure out a better way to eat at home recently since I know it makes me feel better.

I discovered one meal that both my husband and I can eat that is very easy to make. Tuna salad sandwiches may not seem like a big deal or even all that healthy. But, it's easy and it's something that I can fix even if I've been grocery shopping that day most of the time. And, yes, the tuna probably has too much salt and the bread increases pain, but if I'm feeling pretty good, I substitute cucumbers for the bread.

Still, it's one meal that I can make at home and we like and it's easy. It's a win. It's one thing that doesn't cause stress.

This week, I discovered a second meal that works for us both. It takes a little more work, but I end up with extra for the freezer or lunch for a couple of days.

The local grocery up the hill has a small vegetable section. It's not great, but they usually have decent potatoes and one or two other veggies. So, vegetable soup has joined tuna salad on my easy meals list. I can add meat to my husband's and beans to mine which is an easy fix for making two meals out of one. He can't eat the beans and I'm trying to avoid the meat which increases inflammation.

Washing, peeling, and cutting up the vegetables for it takes a couple of spoons, but then I can rest while it cooks. There's always some leftover so I can add a bowl or two to the freezer or eat it for lunch the next day.

Planning a different menu every week is more than my foggy brain can deal with and buying groceries for a week is not possible anyway. To make it even easier, we do Tuesday Tuna and Saturday Soup. I hope to add other days of the week one at a time.

Starting with one small change has made such a big difference.

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