The Books, TV And Podcasts Helping Me To Forget My Illness (July Edition)

I am a mummy. I have Fibromyalgia. I have Anxiety and Depression. Yet, I am more than these things. I am more than my illness. It is so hard to remember this when you are in the midst of a fibromyalgia flare where your body is screaming in pain and you are so tired you cannot lift your arms. However, it is so important to remember who you are and what you like to do outside of your fibromyalgia or illness.

So in today’s blog post, I thought I would share with you the latest book, TV show, film and podcast I have tried to give you some ideas to help you step outside your pain, even if it’s just for a moment.

*p.s. If you struggle to hold a physical book because of pain or eye sight difficulties Amazon Audible could be the way to go for you. It is a membership that gives you access to a huge selection of books and podcasts and more. BY clicking my link above, you can get a free trial to try Audible for yourself. Please note if you click my link, at no cost to you, I earn a small amount of commision.

The books I am reading:

• The Con by Karen Woods : This is a crime thriller book I am reading at the moment. I’m 219 pages in and so far it is incredibly gripping. It is about a family (a mum and her 3 sons) who are drug dealers and one son gets send down. The mum and the 2 other boys are left to fend for themselves on the outside and keep the empire going. Will they succeed or will they fail? The mum also is entangled in a love affair with 2 men and both could have serious consequences for the family if she continues to pursue. It is keeping me firmly on tenterhooks and making me stay up way past my bed time!

• The Gentle Parenting book By Sarah Ockwell-Smith : This is a non-fiction parenting book about ‘how to raise calmer, happier children from birth to seven’. As a teacher, I like to learn about child development and the science behind why and how to do things as a parent. It is split into sections and I have moved onto the section ‘Welcome to Toddlerdom -One to Four Years’ because my boy is older. It has presented some interesting concepts for how to deal with tricky situations such as tantrums and sharing and I am sure I will pick up more hints and tips as I continue with the book.

The shows I am watching:

• Taskmaster on Netflix: Myself and my husband are absolutely in love with this show! It is so funny, easy to watch and all seasons are available from Netflix right from the beginning. I love that they are easy to watch as it is accessible with the illnesses I have. We started watching taskmaster rather late on at like series 13 or something so we are enjoying going back and watching the earlier shows. We are on Season 5 at the minute and the banter is downright hilarious. For those of you who haven’t watched it, it is a show whereby they set ridiculous tasks to celebrities and they earn points to win the episode and overall series.

• This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay on BBC Iplayer: After reading the book, my husband and I decided to give this series a watch and it was so hard hitting! The book is Adam Kay’s memoirs about being a junior doctor on the obstetrics and gynae wards. It is about the pressure the NHS is under and how overworked and overlooked doctors and nurses are. There were some tear jerking scenes but plenty of dark humour to keep you going.

The films I have seen recently:

• Elemental (2023) : This is the brand new Pixar film about a land inhabited by element people. There is one town completely inhabited by fire people who are outcast and do not like to mix with the other elements. Then there is another city whereby all the elements live together such as water, earth and wind people. The main character Ember is due to take over her father’s shop in the fire town when he retires but she discovers she wants more in her life, thanks to her new water buddy Wade. Can she get the life she wants and keep her parents happy at the same time? It is a visually striking film with deep themes running through it however, it does not marry up to the likes of Inside Out, Coco or Encanto.

• The Little Mermaid (2023): This is such a classic film and I remember the original so well. Again, the graphics in the film are outstanding, as are the singing voices and the characters are on point. It is rather long and they have added a lot of unnecessary scenes but again overall a very good film due to the sense of nostalgia you get when you watch it. Also, I was so pleased to know that Daveed Diggs plays Sebastian the Crab as he is from Hamilton!!!!

The podcast I am currently listening to:

• Your own backyard The disappearance of Kristen Smart: This is a true crime podcast whereby Chris Lambert tries to uncover the truth behind who killed Kristen Smart 26 years ago in 1996. It covers the investigation, arrest of a suspect, trial of a suspect and the eventual incarciration of that suspect and it is going on in real time. The suspect was charged this year and sentenced too, mostly thanks to the work of the podcast. Not for the faint heartened, but a very good true crime podcast that will keep you wanting to find out more.

Mummy the Fibro Warrior Top Tip:

1. Try to find things that can take you out of your pain and illness from books, TV shows, Films, Podcasts and many more! You are not your pain! You are more than it!

If there is one takeaway I would like you all to remember today is that you are unique! You are special! You are amazing! You are not Fibromyalgia! You are a person who enjoys many things and there is so much to explore in the world. Grasp it where you can and dive in to a good book, get immersed into a good film, fight back tears watching a TV show or zone out with a podcast. The possibilities are endless. You deserve more. I need you to remember that you are loved, your child/children love you just as you are and you are Mummy the Fibro Warrior!

Until next time

x