If you have chronic pain or illness, a decent part of your day is taken up with self-care and Managing Symptoms. Sometimes, you can get lost in that process, and forget that you’re also a sensual being. Today’s video includes five things I do all the time to maintain my Sexy ChronicBabe side… and I’ll be curious to hear what works for you, too!

*AWAP = As Well As Possible

Now it’s your turn:

How do you nurture your sexy side? Tell me all about it in the comments below.

Want more #AWAPwednesday? Check out our #AWAPwednesday video playlist, which has more than 100 videos packed with practical advice, lots of humor, and bloopers. Lots of bloopers.

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Until we meet again: Be AWAP! Smooches!

(Loose) Transcript:

Oh, hey there. Hello. (Blows a kiss) Come sit down and let’s have a little chat, shall we, sugar?

Hi! I’m Jenni Grover Prokopy of ChronicBabe.com and today is AWAP Wednesday (that stands for As Well As Possible).

Each week, I offer you my personal favorite tips and techniques to help you craft an incredible life beyond illness. Yes! I know you can.

Subscribe to the ChronicBabe YouTube channel today to make sure you never miss another video, OK?

I’m sure you could tell from the intro that today, we’re talking about how to feel sexy even if you’re a sick chick. This is a challenge for me, and for many of us.

If you have chronic pain or illness, a decent part of your day is taken up with self-care and managing symptoms. Sometimes, you can get lost in that process, and forget that you’re also a sensual being.

For me, sexy is all about sensuality. Because I have fibromyalgia, my senses are always heightened to the max – that’s a huge part of the illness – so I often feel like I’m on overload, but mostly for BAD sensations.

Embracing sensuality is about turning on your senses to all the GOOD sensations out there. It’ like pointing your little radar dish toward deliciousness.

Here are a few ways I embrace sensuality in my day-to-day:

When I wake up in the morning, I sometimes stretch and roll around in the bed like a cat. I try to embrace the languid nature of the wake-up time, enjoying that feeling of being in between asleep and awake. It’s lovely.

I always put on some essential oils. You can buy these online from a number of retailers, and some grocery stores like Whole Foods carry them. You can go exotic, or you can go floral, or you go bright and citrus-y. I carry some in my purse, too, so I can always refresh. Having that delightful scent in my nose all day keeps me feeling beautiful.

I moisturize. Seriously, sometimes just slowly moisturizing my whole body reminds me of what DOES work and gets me feeling pleased with the parts of my body that DON’T hurt.

I embrace mindful eating practices when I can. Especially this time of year, summer, when my strawberries are coming in. I’ll pick a berry, and slowly bite into it, and just let the flavor fill my mouth. I pause and savor it. I take another bite. In this way, I truly enjoy the taste, the texture, the sun-warmed beauty of the fruit. It’s so exquisite.

Finally, I take some measure of beauty for myself. This might mean doing a fun face mask, or painting my nails, or moving to a favorite song in a way that feels good. I’m sure you have something you can do even if you feel awful that helps you feel more beautiful. Put on a favorite blouse, wear some cute earrings, apply a vibrant lipstick shade – do something that gives you a little zing. Enjoy that feeling of beauty.

These are the things that I do every day to help myself maintain sensuality, to keep my senses alive to all the good feelings I can access, even when I otherwise feel crummy. And that helps me feel sexy and alive. I bet if you think on this, you can come up with your own list, too.

Awaken your senses. You’ll feel more sexy every day, even if you’re a sicko.

Thanks for watching today! How do you nurture your sexy side? I’d love to know. Share your strategy in the comments here or head on over to the blog at ChronicBabe.com to join the conversation—I want to hear what YOU have to say.

If you liked what you saw today, subscribe to our channel—and watch another one of my favorite videos right now. I think you’re gonna like it!

Until we meet again, be AWAP! Smooches!