💪I create resources to help people adapt to living with chronic illness so they can thrive.
A Different Way to Look Back on Your Year With Chronic Illness
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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 a clear narrative or a polished takeaway. Just the truth of what it feels like to move through a year when your body sets the terms more often than the calendar does. And honestly, that realization softened something in me. If you’ve ever felt pressured to wrap the year in a story that feels cleaner than the one you actually lived, you may recognize the tension I’m talking about. There’s a quiet relief in giving yourself permission to step back and let your reflections be exactly what they are. No performance. No pressure. Just honesty. My latest post explores this shift and what it opened up for me. Not as advice, but as a personal story that might help you feel less alone if this season isn’t lining up with what everyone else seems to be celebrating. You can read it here whenever you’re ready: Wishing you softness as you move through this time in a way that fits your energy.
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April Smith | The Thriving Spoonie
💪I create resources to help people adapt to living with chronic illness so they can thrive.
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...
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...
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...