I’ve created this website as a travel blog, where I also want to post some specific tips for people with chronic pain. How traveling can remain possible in the face of physical limitations. It’s been a while since I’ve posted an article, because I haven’t really travelled since covid. So this is going to be a bit of a different story.

What do you love doing?

In this post I want to focus on finding something you love doing. And for me that is traveling, being creative (designing) and journaling. And with that helping other people who have chronic pain, with pretty journals and notebooks for guided pain and symptom tracking.

Wellbeing

So last year I’ve been focusing a lot on my mental health and wellbeing. Figuring out what, besides my wife, dog, house, work and traveling, is important to me in life and what makes me happy. I’ve completed a lot of courses and trainings, with a main focus on wellbeing. And it was very insightful. I came to the conclusion that I have a pretty good life, despite my fibromyalgia. Do I wish I didn’t wake up every day with a lot of pain and each year being able to do less than the year before, sure. But there’s not much I can do about that. I love my house, have a great job and I just have a lot to be grateful for. So I need to spend more attention and gratitude to the (little) things in life. And spend more of my free time on things I enjoy doing, like being creative.

My love for designing and journaling

When I started this blog site, I was excited to be able to combine the things I love doing: traveling and designing. I had a lot of fun creating this website and writing the articles and giving tips. Which hopefully can help some people. I also wanted this platform to be a place where I could give travel tips to other people with fibromyalgia. Since I’ve had it for over 20 years and have travelled a lot despite my physical challenges.

Designing journals

This year I came up with another idea to combine things I love doing: designing and journaling. And with that also helping other people with chronic pain, by creating pain and symptom tracking journals. So besides empty notebooks and bullet journals, I’ve created these guided journals, where you can daily track things like pain rate, sleep, food and water intake, activities, stress level etc. These pain tracking journals are an amazing tool to gain more insight in what your triggers may be. What activities or food can trigger specific pains. And they are a great tool to discuss the results with your doctor or specialists. To see if there are any adjustments you can make in your daily life which will lead to less pain. Especially people in the early stages after diagnosis can really benefit from these journals.

A couple examples of my guided pain and symptom tracking journals

While designing the pain tracking pages, I took into account what’s important for people with chronic pain, like fibromyalgia, Ehler Danlos Syndrome (which my wife has), migraines and other chronic pain illnesses. And I really enjoyed designing the covers. I just LOVE a pretty notebook. That makes me happy. Don’t ask me why, I’m just a total notebook addict. I can’t pass a beautiful notebook without buying it. So what is a greater joy than creating my own journals and notebooks?! 😀 Although I don’t know how happy my wife is with it, because I’m buying every journal I’m creating, so the journal pile(s) keeps getting higher… 😉

The inside pages of the pain journals

I’m currently selling them on Amazon. I’ve set a really small profit margin, because I don’t need to make a lot of money on them. I designed them to help others and for myself to be happy in the process of creating them. And for me it also creates a moment of happiness every time I see someone has bought one of my journals or notebooks.

I’m still working on more journals, also specific travel journals. And if you have any good ideas of what you’re missing on the market or would definitely buy if you saw it, please let me know. But for now I have some pretty bullet journals and lined notebooks available for all types of notes and journaling. As well as gratitude journals, pain tracking journals and to-do notebooks. So please check them out.