Hi Reader, When I was first diagnosed, I thought the hardest part would be the symptoms. I was wrong. The symptoms were real, yes. Disorienting. Limiting. Sometimes scary. But what caught me off guard was everything around them. The silence. The well-meaning comments. The identity shift. The subtle pressure to “handle it well.” I originally wrote a version of this post in 2024. I recently went back and fully updated it to reflect what I understand now — with more clarity, more depth, and more...
11 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, There’s a belief I hear over and over again in the chronic illness community. “I’m just bad at boundaries.” It sounds self-aware. Responsible. Honest. But it’s usually carrying something heavier underneath. When you’re living with chronic illness, unpredictable energy, and fluctuating symptoms, boundaries that protect energy aren’t a personality trait. They aren’t about being confident enough or assertive enough. They’re about adapting to reality. In this week’s post, I’m breaking...
18 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader,There’s a specific kind of exhaustion that doesn’t come from doing too much. It shows up on days when you didn’t leave the house. When your to-do list looks reasonable. When nothing “big” went wrong—and yet you still feel completely drained. If you live with chronic illness, that exhaustion usually isn’t physical overexertion. It’s invisible work. The constant mental calculations.The emotional labor of managing expectations.The energy spent preparing, anticipating, adjusting, and...
25 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how often people pleasing sneaks into life with chronic illness without us even noticing. Not the obvious kind.The quiet kind. The kind that looks like pushing a little longer, explaining a little more, resting a little later. The kind that feels responsible, considerate, and necessary… right up until your body starts pushing back. I wrote a new post this week about people pleasing and chronic illness, and it’s a tender one. Not because it...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hi there Reader, I wanted to share something a little different this week. I just updated an older blog post on burnout and chronic illness. Not a light edit, but a real revision that reflects how my understanding of burnout has changed over time, shaped by lived experience, boundaries I had to learn the hard way, and a much clearer picture of what doesn’t work. Burnout with chronic illness isn’t loud for most of us. It doesn’t always look like a breakdown. More often, it shows up as quiet...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, There’s a phrase I hear all the time in the chronic illness space, and I’ve said it myself more times than I can count. “I’ll catch up when I have more energy.” It sounds reasonable. Responsible, even. And yet, if you’ve been living with chronic illness for a while, you’ve probably noticed how often that plan quietly falls apart. The catch-up day takes more out of you than expected. The next few days feel harder. And suddenly you’re behind again, wondering why this keeps happening....
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, If self-compassion has felt distant lately, awkward, or just plain unavailable, this is for you. Not in a “you should be kinder to yourself” way. More in a “there might be a reason this feels hard right now” way. A lot of chronic illness advice treats self-compassion like a skill you can strengthen if you just try harder or practice more consistently. But when you’ve spent years overriding your body, managing symptoms, and staying functional under pressure, kindness doesn’t always...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader,If you’re feeling more wiped out now than you were during the holidays, this is for you. There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that shows up once things finally slow down. The plans are over. The expectations ease up. And instead of relief, your body seems to… drop. Energy dips. Emotions feel heavier. Routines that usually help feel harder to restart. That moment can be confusing, especially when you’ve already done so much work learning how to pace, rest, and adapt. It’s easy to...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, The days after the holidays can feel strangely unmoored. Not quite rest. Not quite routine. Just that in-between space where your body is tired, your rhythm is off, and everything that used to feel automatic suddenly takes effort. If you’ve been feeling that lately, you’re not behind. You’re recalibrating. I wrote a new post this week about what it actually looks like to rebuild daily rhythm after the holidays when you live with chronic illness. Not the “get back on track” version....
2 months ago • 1 min read