The High Price of “I’m Fine” (and Other Retired Phrases in the Chronic Illness Vocabulary)
Some phrases stopped working the moment my body did. Here’s the vocabulary I’ve quietly retired — and what I actually mean now.
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Beyond “Just Coping”: A Better Way to Manage Chronic Illness Stress
If you live with chronic illness, you’ve probably been told to “just cope” more times than you can count. The SMART program — Stress Management and Resiliency Training — is an evidence-based approach that actually works with your physiology instead of ignoring it. Here’s what it is, what I got out of it, and whether it might be worth exploring.
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When Everything Gets Louder: Managing Chronic Illness Flares and Ways to Move Through Them
A chronic illness flare is a period when your symptoms intensify — sometimes gradually, sometimes overnight, sometimes for reasons you can identify and sometimes for absolutely no reason you can name. And if you live with a chronic condition, you already know that flares don’t politely limit themselves to one system. They pile on.
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I Wake Up Missing Spoons
What does it mean to live with a chronic illness and never have enough spoons? Here’s what you need to know.
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Things People Say to Chronically Ill People (And What We Actually Hear)
They mean well. They almost always mean well. That’s what makes it so hard.
