How to Cope With Rheumatoid Arthritis Morning Stiffness
It’s a defining symptom of rheumatoid arthritis and one of the most difficult aspects of the condition. My new article for HealthCentral is all about morning stiffness, plus tips for coping with it. And there’s more! Tips and stories from the RA community: “One of the defining characteristics of arthritis is morning stiffness. Depending on…
How to Pace Yourself with Chronic Illness
How do you learn to pace yourself with chronic illness? It’s more complicated than just deciding to do things more slowly — there are a lot of emotional aspects to this process, as well as learning a whole new way of leading your life. One of the most frustrating aspects of chronic illness is that…
Photo Friday: Oh, Romeo
“Oh, Romeo…” she said, gazing worriedly (and a little excitedly) from on high at the skirmish below. Another challenger for her affections had arrived, but Romeo chased him effectively around the courtyard for a while, then finally away. “Wherefore art thou, Romeo,” she continued plaintively, then broke into a smile as he appeared on…
From Helplessness to Hope with Chronic Illness: 5 Strategies to Push Back Depression
I had a rough entry into the holidays. The fates conspired to send me a number of events over which I had little control. On top of already existing stress, plus having slammed it into overdrive to prepare for the holidays, my body (and mind) had had enough. So I got sick. Or rather, I…
Your Life with RA Is On Sale!
It’s January, a month famous — infamous? — for being full of resolutions and decisions to take charge of your life. My Amazon Bestseller Your Life with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Tools for Managing Treatment, Side Effects and Pain is your perfect partner in the quest to become empowered and put yourself in the driver’s seat with…
6 Tips for Setting (and Working Towards) Goals Despite the Unpredictability of Chronic Illness
“That’s why you should never make plans,” she said. “You never know what might happen.” I used to be in that place. It’s a place where you are afraid of planning anything, because of the unpredictability of chronic illness. If you never know how you’ll feel tomorrow, even in an hour from now, forcing you…
12 Ways to Get on Top of Your RA
New year, new you? That can be difficult to accomplish when you live with RA and all the demands and unpredictability that entails. My new article for HealthCentral suggests an attainable way of embracing a new you: one month at a time: “Living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and all that comes with it can be…