💪I create resources to help people adapt to living with chronic illness so they can thrive.
Letting go isn't the same as giving up 🕊️
|
Hey Reader, I want to talk about a specific kind of guilt this week: the one that shows up right after you decide to stop expecting something of yourself that your body can't deliver anymore. If you've ever lowered a standard for your work, your plans, or your recovery timeline, and immediately felt like you'd given up rather than adjusted, this post is for you. I break down why that reaction happens, what the old expectation was actually protecting underneath the surface, and a few concrete steps for releasing it without the free fall. I also talk about where EFT tapping fits into this. Letting go isn't just a mental decision. The resistance to it lives in the body too, and tapping is one of the more practical tools I've found for processing that in the moment, instead of white-knuckling through it. If this is where you are right now, you can read the new post here: Take care of yourself this week, |
April Smith | The Thriving Spoonie
💪I create resources to help people adapt to living with chronic illness so they can thrive.
Hi Reader, Recently I told you that my IIH diagnosis turned out not to be the main thing going on. I couldn’t fit the whole story into that email, so I wrote it all out. The post covers how I found out, what the grief has been like and what I’m sorting through now. It also explains what’s changing here on the site. My About page and many older posts still mention IIH. Those posts aren’t going anywhere, and I’ll be linking them back to this one so you can see the whole story. Read the post:...
Hi Reader, On my worst flare days, my hygiene routine is three things: a wipe-down with sensitive-skin wipes, mouthwash when brushing is too much, and clean underwear. Some days I need help even with those. For a long time I thought that didn’t count. Hygiene meant the full routine, and anything less meant I was failing at it. Chronic illness took that idea apart, and what replaced it has made my hardest days a lot more manageable. In this week’s post, I’m sharing how I scale my routine down...
Hi Reader, If fall has felt heavy lately, you are not alone, and you are not being ungrateful. Maybe it started with the first cooler morning, or a store aisle already stocked for a season you are still catching up to. Maybe someone asked what you have left to do before the year ends, and your stomach dropped a little. For a lot of us, the shorter days and the year winding down quietly ask how much energy we had and what we hoped to do with it. That can ache, even when nothing dramatic...