‘How do you just not give up?’

‘Четыре стены и меня’

That’s Russian and it says something like ‘Four walls and me’.

It’s an expression used by Russian prisoners to symbolize the loneliness that they go through when they’re in jail for whatever crimes they have committed.

Some say time really passes fast inside prison. Anyway, being confined to a jail cell with one or several roommates and being locked up for years — it simply has to be lonely.

So, no wonder how that expression came around.

I actually got reminded by this when I heard the story about a woman who’d been bedridden with her chronic disease for three years.

Imagine that.

Three years in bed, in great pain.

Without a sliver of hope.

Feeling lonely.

Missing out on so much.

The real ‘FOMO’ that people speak about so much.

Like what the woman rhetorically asked;

‘How do you like…just not give up?’

I have no idea how she can keep on going if things don’t change soon.

To me, it seems obvious that she needs to do something about her case and that her regular medications don’t work.

I’d be happy to offer her (and you) an alternative.

Actually, I meant alternativES. Because, there’s obviously more than one thing that you can do. Not all of the alternatives may make much sense, but they’re surely better than just sitting there, doing nothing.

So, here goes:

1. Actually believe in yourself and your ability to get over your struggles. This is of course much more difficult than it sounds, and admittedly not as “sexy” or “cool” as a lot of other suggestions either. But, as with everything, your mindset is the most important thing that you have. Believing that you actually can fix something, whether it’s yourself or another device and/or person, is futile without the proper mindset in place.
2. Stay in activity. Yes. I’m completely aware that it’s not easy to do when you’re suffering from pain. And, you’re not supposed to run up to the top of Mount Everest or deadlift 300 lbs either. I’m just asking you to physically move around, lift something or to just do something to stay in activity.
3. Do a small thing to improve your situation every day. It can be as simple as paying off a bill that’s been laying around for too long. Or writing a sentence on your computer. Washing the dishes. Or cleaning your room. Just do something. And then, the next day you do a little more. And a little more. And then, with hard luck and determination, you’ll have accomplished more than you would have dreamed of.
4. Change your diet. A lot of people consume processed foods with a lot of carbohydrates in them. Like bread, pasta, rice and so on. I’m not saying that those foods are downright unhealthy, I’m just arguing that you should try and leave them out of your dietary regimen for a while and see what happens. In many cases, people will lose weight when they cut back on the carbohydrates.
5. Try out a health supplement. Of course, I’m very biased in this regard. Yes, I actually do believe that you should try out CBD oil. Because it has helped so many people relieve themselves of their pain. And, you don’t need to go the doctor to get a prescription. If you’re in the US, you can legally buy CBD oil in most states. Be sure to check with your local authorities first, though.

And as always, this is not medical advice, just my medical opinion. So if you’re ever in doubt, just make sure that you check with your doctor or another qualified health professional before you buy or try out anything.

Alright, with that in mind, you have a recipe to begin improving your life. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy or comfortable, and it’s certainly going to ask a lot of you.

You may find that you’ll have ‘down days’. On those days, keep in mind that in order to get what you want, you have to do what a lot of people resent to do.

Or even better, to get what others want, you often have to do the things that others don’t want to do.

That’s what’s propelling you forward.

And deep inside you, you know that’s true.