Posts | April Smith | The Thriving Spoonie

🌞 The Sunday rhythm I wish I had years ago…

Hey Reader, You know that weird Sunday feeling? The pressure to rest and prepare, the overwhelm before the week even starts…Yeah. I used to crash hard every Sunday trying to “get ahead.” So I started doing something different—something gentler. And now, I’ve turned that routine into a free printable checklist just for you. If you’ve been looking for a spoonie-friendly way to reset your week without draining your last bit of energy, you’ll want to grab this. 📝 Get the free Spoonie Sunday Setup...

3 days ago • 1 min read

🧹What if your cleaning routine didn’t have to be all or nothing?

Hey Reader, Have you ever looked around your space and thought, “I want to clean… but I just can’t today”? Same. And it’s not because we’re lazy. When you’re living with chronic illness, there’s often this tug-of-war between needing a calm, tidy space and not having the energy to make it happen. That tension can pile up just as quickly as the laundry does. So what if there were a middle ground? This week on the blog, I’m doing something a little different—and I’m really excited about it. I’ve...

7 days ago • 1 min read

🦽 What disability pride really looks like in 2025

Hey there, Reader! Today marks the start of Disability Pride Month here in the U.S., in honor of the passing of the Americans with Disabilities act in July of 1990. Disability Pride Month isn’t flashy. Sometimes it’s quiet. Sometimes it’s complicated.And sometimes it looks like finally deciding to stop apologizing for your limits. This week on the blog, I’m sharing a newly updated post about what disability pride means to me now—and why it matters more than ever this year. I’m diving into how...

13 days ago • 1 min read

😴 The truth about those random energy crashes

Hey there, Reader!Last week, I was at my computer trying to get back into a routine after several days of flare-ups when it hit me—fast. A sharp, pulsing pain behind my eye. Colors started shifting. My vision felt off. I couldn’t even keep my eye fully open. I recognized the signs—it was a migraine, and a bad one. But that didn’t make it any less scary. Especially because I was already dealing with an IIH flare-up, which had me feeling off-balance even before this started. My anxiety spiked....

20 days ago • 2 min read

🧭 You don’t need to “overcome” your illness to live fully

Hi Reader, Ever notice how often we hear stories about people with chronic illness “beating the odds” or “not letting their condition stop them”? At first, those stories sound inspiring. But there was a time when I let that message shape everything — how I saw myself, how I treated my body, even what I believed made me “worthy.” I didn’t realize that message — the one that tells us we’re only doing well if we’re pushing through — was doing far more harm than good. And if you’ve ever felt like...

27 days ago • 1 min read

🛑 Why I stopped letting my to-do list run my day

Hi Reader, For years, I let my to-do list decide how I felt about myself. If I crossed everything off, it was a “good” day. If I didn’t, I felt lazy, unmotivated, or behind—even when my body was clearly asking for rest. It took a lot of unlearning, but I finally realized that productivity isn’t just about getting things done. It’s about managing my energy in a way that’s actually sustainable. This week’s blog post is all about how I made that shift: 👉 My Top Tips for How to Balance Rest and...

about 1 month ago • 1 min read

🛌 What if the real trick to saving energy… wasn’t rest?

Hi Reader, Have you ever felt like no matter how much you rest, it’s never enough? I used to think saving energy just meant resting more.Rest after a task. Rest between tasks. Rest to recover from doing too much. And while rest is important, I’ve learned something else along the way—something I didn’t hear often enough when I was first diagnosed: Rest isn’t the only way to protect your energy.Prevention is, too. The things that made the biggest difference for me weren’t nap schedules or...

about 1 month ago • 1 min read

What If the Secret Isn’t Doing More—But Doing Less?

Hey Reader, Have you ever looked at your routine—the meds, the appointments, the endless decision-making—and thought, “This just isn’t sustainable”? You’re not alone. And more importantly, you’re not doing it wrong. We’re spoonies. We adapt, adjust, pivot, and plan—constantly. But somewhere along the way, our daily routines can get so overloaded that they stop supporting us… and start draining us instead. Here’s the part no one tells you: Your routine doesn’t need to be perfect. It doesn’t...

about 2 months ago • 1 min read

Oops—here’s the correct link 💙

Hi friend, If you tried to read my latest blog post—I'm so sorry! There was a hiccup with the link, and it didn’t go where it was supposed to. The good news? It’s fixed now, and I’ve got everything for you right here: 👉 Read the post: How to Take Back Your Power with Medical Self-Advocacy Whether you've been dismissed, talked over, or made to feel like you're “too much,” this post walks through how to advocate for yourself—even when it’s hard—and reminds you that your voice matters. Thanks...

about 2 months ago • 1 min read

👩‍⚕️ Feeling powerless at the doctor’s office? Start here.

Hi Reader, Have you ever walked out of a doctor’s office feeling more frustrated than helped? You try to explain your symptoms, your history, what’s been working (and what hasn’t)—but instead of feeling heard, you’re met with interruptions, contradictions, or that dreaded condescending tone. It’s exhausting. And unfortunately, it’s far too common for those of us living with chronic illness. Recently, I had one of those appointments. The kind that leaves you second-guessing yourself, even...

about 2 months ago • 1 min read