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With Grace and Grit - Life with Chronic Illness

The Best Advice No One Ever Gave Me

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Living with a serious or life-changing illness forces us to learn to cope with a constant state of uncertainty. I have three crucial pieces of advice. It’s the best advice that no one ever gave me, and I want to share it with you.

I celebrated a pretty big milestone this week. My fifteenth birthday. Technically it’s a “rebirth” day because fifteen years ago I received a stem cell transplant that saved my life and ultimately cured me of an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system.

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Emotional Eating – It’s Not Just About the Food

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Have you ever heard the expression “eating your emotions”? Emotional eating isn’t simply about what you’re consuming. In fact, it’s more about the reasons why you’re doing it.

I’ve had chocolate cake three days in a row. And more than one piece per day. But it’s not just any chocolate cake. It’s a heavenly marriage of buttercream frosting laced with crushed Oreo cookies thickly slathered between layers of moist cake. Did I mention that it’s crowned with chocolate ganache?

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The Easiest Way to Declutter with Chronic Illness

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Ready to part with all of the stuff that you don’t need? Don’t make it harder than it needs to be. Here’s the easiest way to declutter when you’re chronically ill.

There are bones on my dining room table. One is a humerus, I think. Or is it a tibia? In either case, they look like clutter to me. But I can’t get rid of them.

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A Simple Plan for Decluttering with Chronic Illness

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Are you overwhelmed by all of your stuff? Are you ready to simplify and get your house in order? If you’re not sure where to start, I have what you need: a simple plan for decluttering.

I’d be lying if I said I own too much stuff. Because the truth is that it owns me. Our stuff is like that, isn’t it? We allow it – we actually invite it – into our homes. And we coexist quite happily until we just don’t need each other anymore. But like a bad relationship that we just can’t bring ourselves to end, we hang onto it.

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How to Stop the Sabotage of Negative Self-Talk

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Living with a chronic illness can predispose us to negative self-talk. It can be hard to prevent our limitations – real and perceived – from changing how we see and value ourselves.

I don’t know anyone who claims to be immune to the potential ravages of negative self-talk. We all do it – although not necessarily to the same degree. Self-doubt, self-loathing, self-consciousness, self-deprecation – I could go on. But I’m guessing you know exactly what I’m talking about.

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The Surprising Link Between Pets and Our Health

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Pets enrich our lives, and there’s a proven connection between pets and our health. But do you know the science behind it?

It occurred to me that for the past thirty years I’ve never been without a pet. From the sweet brown tabby cat I adopted from a shelter in 1990 to our current trio of furry companions, animals have been a constant in my life.

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It’s Okay to be Angry When You’re Chronically Ill

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Anger is often a mask for grief. It’s okay to be angry when you’re chronically ill. Once you acknowledge it you can find effective ways to cope so that you can live well.

There are moments – and not just a few – when I recognize that words are the way to the soul. Sometimes, a chain of simple words are tethered together so perfectly that they are extraordinarily profound.

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Fall Asleep Faster – Plus Two New Techniques to Try

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There are lots of techniques you can try if you want to fall asleep faster. But when the conventional approaches aren’t working, it’s time to give these two unconventional methods a try.

Sleep. A solid night’s sleep. Don’t I wish! Insomnia is an equal-opportunity condition. A quick Google search produces about 71 million results. And while it’s estimated that it effects 30% of the population, knowing that you’re not alone doesn’t make it any easier when you’ve looked at the clock at 1:20 am, 2:40 am and 3:45 am (you get the picture).

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Easy Ways to Boost Your Mental Wellness

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It’s hard to feel productive when you’re too tired to do anything. So when your body demands a break, take the opportunity to boost your mental wellness.

Have you ever felt like your brain wanted to do something but your body wouldn’t cooperate? I have. So. Many. Times. Like many other types of chronic illness, my autoimmune disease is unpredictable. It seems like it’s unpredictability is the only predictable thing about it.

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Reasons Why You Need a Support Group

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Joining a support group can help you feel understood and give you a sense of belonging. It’s another strategy for living well when you are chronically ill.

How did you feel when you received your diagnosis? Alone? Confused? Afraid? I know I did. There is almost nothing more emotionally isolating than facing a disease that you have very little (if any) control over. This is true whether it’s a chronic illness that can be managed, or an acute illness that is severe and threatens your life.

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Practical Tips for Managing COVID-19 Anxiety

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Is a six foot distance enough? Does wearing a mask make a difference? Do I need to sanitize my groceries? Who knows! What I do know is that there are ways of managing COVID-19 anxiety.

I admit it. I’ve spent hours nervously curled up on my sofa worrying about a virus I may (or may not) ever get. And I only have so much control over that – unless I live alone, leave only when necessary and take every precaution short of donning a hazmat suit. Note to self: the hand sanitizer must have a minimum alcohol content of 60%, of course.

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Why Gratitude is the Gift of Chronic Illness

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We never think of long-term disease as a gift. But gratitude is the gift of chronic illness.

I intended to write about the anxiety of being among the “highly vulnerable” during a pandemic. But the truth is that I spent most of the morning writing a COVID-19 article for work – addressing how employers can plan for the challenges of a gradual return business as usual. Frankly, I’m drained. I’ve spent way too much emotional currency today thinking and worrying about this damn virus.

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Two Simple Strategies for Self-Care

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There are two simple strategies for self-care that you can use to reduce anxiety and improve your well-being.

Take care of yourself.  How many times have you heard this expression? If you’re chronically ill, I’ll wager that you’ve heard it a lot.  But what does it really mean?  How do you define self-care?

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