💪I create resources to help people adapt to living with chronic illness so they can thrive.
🛀 Why self-care still feels impossible (even when you're doing everything “right”)
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Hey there, Reader - Let’s be honest: self-care advice isn’t made for people like us. It’s made for people with consistent energy, stable health, and flexible schedules. People who don’t need to plan rest days or track their symptoms before deciding what kind of breakfast they can handle. So if you’ve ever felt like a failure for not keeping up with a routine, or wondered why even simple habits slip through the cracks—you’re not alone. And you’re not doing it wrong. This week on the blog, I’m sharing something deeply personal: We’re talking about:
Most importantly? This isn’t just theory. It’s the exact system I built for myself—when nothing else worked. If you’ve been wondering why everything feels harder than it should—this post is for you. Not because it promises a quick fix, but because it finally stops blaming you for what the system never accounted for. Read the full post here → And if you're ready for something more structured—but still flexible enough to work with your fluctuating energy—I created a guide that brings all of this together. 📘 The Complete Guide to Daily Chronic Illness Management It’s not about doing more. P.S. I'm also featured as a guest blogger over on the Chronically Cozy Life blog! I wrote about recognizing and managing work-related fatigue when you're living with chronic illness (because burnout isn’t just about doing too much—it’s also about being unsupported). Unitl next time,
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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.
Sometimes I forget how long people like us have been fighting to be seen. When you live with chronic illness, it can feel like every struggle is new. Like no one has ever dealt with the exact combination of symptoms, doctors, paperwork, and doubt that you’re facing right now. And in a lot of ways, this path is uniquely yours. But this week, I’ve been thinking about the people who walked it first. The ones who didn’t have access to the internet or online communities. Who didn’t have language...
If you’ve ever hit Sunday night already dreading the week ahead—this one’s for you. I used to spend my Sundays trying to force a plan that looked good on paper. I’d sit with my planner and try to pretend I knew how much energy I’d have, how many things I could realistically handle, or how “productive” I should be. But when you live with chronic illness, it doesn’t work like that. You can’t plan your week around certainty. You can, however, pace it around compassion. What finally helped me...
Hey Reader, Have you ever bought a new planner hoping it would fix everything? I have. More than once. Every August, when the back-to-school sales hit and everyone starts talking about “fresh starts” and “new routines,” I used to get swept up in it. I’d spend hours looking at time-blocking templates and productivity systems, convinced that this time I’d finally keep up. But no matter how carefully I planned, I always ended up in the same cycle: Overcommitted. Behind. Exhausted. And I started...