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With Grace and Grit - Life with Chronic Illness

Chronic Illness and Positivity: More Harm than Good?

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Pink and yellow balloons with happy faces and frowns set against a blue sky

It can be hard to have a positive outlook when you’re chronically ill. If you’ve tried to cultivate a more optimistic version of yourself – but find that you feel worse, there are a good few reasons why.

We’ve been in the throes of a positivity movement for years. If you’ve tried to cultivate a more optimistic version of yourself, you may have noticed that your efforts can leave you feeling worse. You’re not alone. There are reasons why you might be doing yourself more harm than good.

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Chronic Illness: How to Love the Body that Hates You

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Body image and chronic illness: For many of us, it’s impossible to think of one without being reminded of the other. Here’s why – and what you can do about it.

Why does my body hate me? I’ve asked myself that question. So many times.

A journey with chronic illness is as much an emotional one as a physical one. And it’s almost always accompanied by a feeling that our body has betrayed us. Logically, we know that our body doesn’t hate us – but it can feel that way.

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Swapping FOMO for JOMO: Finding the Joy of Missing Out

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Joy of Missing Out written on yellow paper with eucalyptus and a cup of coffee nearby

No one is immune from FOMO.  But if you are chronically ill, the “Fear of Missing Out” is a familiar condition.  But FOMO be damned.  Let’s talk about JOMO instead!  I want to share just a few of the reasons why there is joy in missing out. 

There they are.  The blissfully happy people on social media! Relishing an Instagram-worthy dinner and cocktails with a group of friends. Sunning themselves on a pristine beach.  Sharing photos from a trip to an obscure, unspoiled postcard-perfect destination.

And what about you?

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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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Happy and sad faces drawn on sticky notes, representing the concept of human emotions.

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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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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