Posts | April Smith | The Thriving Spoonie

A Different Way to Look Back on Your Year With Chronic Illness

Hi Reader, As the year winds down, a lot of people start talking about clarity, lessons, and what they plan to do differently. But if you’re living with chronic illness, the end of the year often carries a different kind of weight. It can feel like you’re holding the sum of twelve unpredictable months in your body, not neatly tucked into a journal or tied together in a tidy reflection. I found myself reaching this season without the usual energy to make meaning out of everything. There wasn’t...

3 days ago • 1 min read

🕯A gentler way to move through the holidays

There’s this point in December where the world seems to speed up—even if you’re standing still. The invites stack up, the errands multiply, and everyone starts talking about “making the most of the season” like that phrase means the same thing for everyone. But when you’re living with chronic illness, your capacity doesn’t expand just because the calendar says it should. That’s what I kept thinking as I wrote this week’s post—not about how to squeeze more joy into a season that’s already too...

10 days ago • 1 min read

💫You don’t have to keep up with the pace everyone else expects

Hi Reader, Some weeks make it painfully clear that the world moves at a pace many of us simply can’t match. And if you’ve ever felt discouraged by how quickly everyone else seems to juggle work, home, errands, and life in general, you’re not alone. There’s a kind of pressure woven into our culture that tells us we’re supposed to keep up no matter what our bodies are doing. But what happens when you live with chronic illness and that pressure hits up against a body that doesn’t respond on...

17 days ago • 1 min read

A gentler way to move through the holidays ☃️

Hi Reader, There’s something about this time of year that brings up a strange combination of anticipation and pressure. The world starts shifting into celebration mode, and even if you love parts of the season, it can still feel like the pace around you speeds up long before your body is ready to match it. Lately,a I’ve been noticing all the small ways the holidays feel different when your energy is limited and your symptoms don’t take a break just because the calendar says it’s time to...

24 days ago • 1 min read

Why I don’t practice gratitude the way I used to

Hey Reader, I’ve been thinking a lot about how the world talks about gratitude—especially this time of year. It always seems to show up in neat little quotes and posts that say things like“There’s always something to be thankful for.”“Choose gratitude.”“Gratitude turns what you have into enough.” I don’t know about you, but when I’m navigating symptoms, appointments, side effects, and just trying to get through the week in one piece… that kind of messaging feels disconnected at best. At...

about 1 month ago • 1 min read

How I Survive Holiday Travel Without Totally Crashing My Energy

I used to think a couple of hours in the car couldn’t possibly wipe me out. But year after year, I’d come home from holiday trips completely drained—and I couldn’t figure out why. I’d tell myself, “It’s just a quick drive.” But between packing, planning, cleaning, and trying to be present with everyone once we arrived, I’d run out of energy long before the holidays even began. It took me a long time to realize that I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I was just approaching travel the same way I...

about 1 month ago • 1 min read

🙅‍♀️ When saying “no” starts to feel like freedom

Hi Reader, Have you ever felt that knot in your stomach right before you tell someone “no”? It’s not just discomfort—it’s conditioning. Many of us were taught that being “good” means being agreeable, helpful, and low-maintenance. So when chronic illness enters the picture, that programming doesn’t disappear. It just becomes impossible to maintain. For a long time, I thought being dependable meant saying yes, even when I was exhausted. I didn’t see how often I was trading my peace for...

about 1 month ago • 1 min read

Your home shouldn’t drain your energy

Hi there Reader, Have you ever felt like your home is quietly working against you? Like no matter how much you pace or plan, even the simplest tasks—folding laundry, unloading the dishwasher, brushing your teeth—end up costing more energy than you expected? I used to think I just needed more willpower. That if I followed the right routine or “pushed through” just a little better, I’d finally stay on top of things. But eventually, I realized the problem wasn’t me. It was the space I was trying...

about 2 months ago • 1 min read

When You Need Permission to Slow Down

Hey Reader, I’ll be honest—last week was a rough week health-wise. The kind that reminds me that even with pacing, planning, and all the right tools, chronic illness has its own agenda. And when that happens, the best thing I can do is not push harder, but to pause. So, instead of forcing myself to crank out a new blog post, I wanted to send a more honest kind of update—one that I think many of us need right now as the holidays approach. If you’ve also been running on fumes lately, you’re not...

about 2 months ago • 2 min read

How I Finally Made Pacing With Chronic Illness Simple

Hi Reader, I used to think pacing was about discipline—saying no more often, scheduling rest, or sticking to a perfectly balanced routine. But even when I tried to “do everything right,” burnout still crept in. That’s when I realized pacing with chronic illness isn’t really about plans at all. It’s about awareness. So I started doing something small every Sunday afternoon: a 10-minute self-check-in with my coffee and planner open beside me. Instead of jumping straight into what I wanted to do...

2 months ago • 1 min read