đź’ŞI create resources to help people adapt to living with chronic illness so they can thrive.
When winter slows you down more than you expected ❄️
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​ Hi Reader, For a long time, I treated winter like something to push through. Shorter days felt like a challenge to overcome rather than a season to move with. And when I couldn’t keep up, the guilt crept in fast. What finally shifted wasn’t a new routine or a better plan. It was letting myself question what comfort and meaning actually look like when energy is limited and unpredictable. Some days, that meant choosing familiar, low-effort activities. Other days, it meant stopping earlier than I thought I should. And sometimes, it meant letting quiet be enough without needing to explain or justify it. I wrote my latest post for spoonies who feel that same pressure when winter rolls around. It’s not a checklist or a set of expectations. It’s a reflection on how low-energy winter activities can still feel grounding and supportive when productivity isn’t the goal. If winter has been asking more of you than you have to give, this might feel like a small permission slip to ease up. You can read the full post here whenever it feels right: 10 Low-Energy Winter Activities That Actually Bring Comfort​ ​ ​ ​​ I’m really glad you’re here, and I hope this season meets you gently. ​
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April Smith | The Thriving Spoonie
đź’ŞI create resources to help people adapt to living with chronic illness so they can thrive.
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...
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...