No one has every asked me what it feels like to have a chronic illness. The closest question was when my mom asked me right after I was diagnosed. And at the time, I felt relieved. For months I had been going to doctor appointments and tests searching for answers. Finally I had an answer. I was not crazy. But I had no idea what living with a chronic illness felt like because well I was just 5 minutes in. And also, I didn't even know what this illness really was or its true impact. No[...]
Not much puts a monkey wrench in new year goal planning like an all or nothing mentality. It's the beginning of a new year which means taking time to sit down and create new year resolutions and goals. Not me. This is my second year setting intentions and not goals and I don’t think I’ll be looking back honestly. The All or Nothing Mentality Goal setting is cool. It’s almost a ritual we do every new year but it can be painful when you set a goal that resonates wi[...]
Last week I went on a tirade about stress and what I think the possible stressors are currently in my life. If nothing in that post resonated with you, I encourage you to do a little research of your own. The literature is there. "Stress can be a trigger." Ok. Great. But where's the literature on how to "limit stress" or how to cope with stress? *crickets* This week I'd like to talk about overcoming stress. (Un)fortunately stress is an unavoidable part of life. Me personally, I don't see[...]
Feeling a certain amount of stress with a chronic illness lifestyle? Not sure where this stress is coming from? You're not alone. The relationship between stress and illness is complex. As I've mentioned before, stress is a potential trigger for flare up of symptoms to any person with an autoimmune disease. My ability to handle stress with a chronic illness or just my tolerance for stress has drastically decreased since my diagnosis. Not only does stress trigger my MG symptoms but they als[...]
As if being diagnosed with a chronic illness isn’t life changing enough, sometimes chronic illness can lead to other conditions like anxiety. I’ve mentioned before that I’ve always been a little tightly wound/ type A personality. But I wouldn’t have labeled it as anxiety. However as I’ve been navigating these chronic illness waters, I feel like I’m suffering from a bit of chronic illness-induced anxiety. If you’re not sure if you have chronic illness anxiety, here ar[...]
When you have a chronic illness it can be a struggle to love yourself. Why? Because your body is attacking itself so essentially it is YOU that is attacking YOU. How can you love your arch nemesis?!? Or at least that's how I felt at the crux of my self loathery (yes - I made that up). Why is Self Love Important Self-love is not a fad or slogan. It’s not selfish or vain or conditional. It’s dynamic. Self-love is complete acceptance of who and what you are (and aren[...]