Greatness in the Ordinary: The Self-Care of Movement
This summer, I went to The Self-Care Mvmt Summit in Toronto. It was an inspiring event where, among other things, I got to listen to Margaret Trudeau talk about her journey with bipolar disorder. It was my first exposure to Self-Care Catalysts, a company that has a unique approach to helping people with health conditions…
How to Enjoy the Holidays with Chronic Illness — #ChronicChristmas on CreakyJoints
I used to contribute posts to CreakyJoints and was very happy to be part of the community. Alas, when my workload increased, something had to give. I’ve missed that community, which is why I was thrilled when they asked me to write a guest post about the holidays and chronic illness (and perhaps mention Chronic…
How Hygge Can Help You Cope with the Stress of Chronic Illness
To help you and your family hygge this season, take a look at The Danish Way of Parenting’s hygge oath.
Tips on How to Afford Alternative Therapies
Have you ever thought of trying alternative therapies for chronic illness and pain? And if post for HealthCentral, I looked into ways of making them affordable: “Managing the symptoms of chronic illness involves a battery of techniques and many of us include alternative therapies in our treatment regimen. This can include acupuncture, chiropractic care, naturopathy,…
Chronic Christmas Giveaway on A Rheumful of Tips
Marianna a.k.a. the genius behind A Rheumful of Tips has kindly written a review of Chronic Christmas: Surviving the Holidays with a Chronic Illness: “Chronic Christmas: Surviving the Holidays with a Chronic Illness by Lene Andersen is an advent calendar-style book that is brimming with common-sense and humour, and is also infused with personal stories…
Thoughts on Advent Calendars, Chronic Illness, and Holiday Stress
Updated November 29, 2021 And so it begins. When I was a child, we would start every day in December by lighting an Advent candle. It cast a warm glow over the breakfast table, contrasting with the darkness outside the windows. In Denmark, so much of December is so very dark. Burning down the space…
Hästens: The Best Sleep I’ve Ever Had
I have a new bed. I have never slept this well and it has reduced my chronic pain levels significantly. It is a blue checked Hästens bed. Earlier this year, I wrote about my quest for a new bed. To recap: every bed I found was too high, too hot, too smelly, or contained latex…
Chronic Christmas on RheumatoidArthritis.net
Reading a review of the book you’ve written is always a nerve-racking moment. It doesn’t matter if you know the reviewer and figure they’re not going to cut you to shreds because they are a nice person. It is still a nerve-racking experience. Mariah Leach of From This Point. Forward has written a review of…
4 Ways to Use Respect and Dignity in Caregiving for Chronic Illness
When you have a chronic illness — or know someone who does — help can be part of your relationship. More commonly, the word caregiving is used when there is an element of caring for someone who has physical limitations, such as chronic illness. Giving and receiving care is much more than just the physical act…
Leeza Gibbons on Caring for the Caregiver
The plotzing! OMG, the plotzing!! OK, deep breath. So, I had the opportunity to interview Leeza Gibbons. I was a complete fan girl about it, although tried to keep it together for the actual interview. Plotzed before, after, while I was writing up the article, when I saw the interview — because it’s also on…
The Gift of the Holiday Season
I am (seasonally appropriate) so grateful for the incredible support my HealthCentral family is giving me and Chronic Christmas: Surviving the Holidays with a Chronic Illness! David Mendosa of the HealthCentral Diabetes site reviewed my new book and asked some insightful questions about it: “ If you have a chronic illness that limits your activity,…
Reasons to be Grateful for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Am I kidding? Not entirely. My new post for HealthCentral is a mostly tongue-in-cheek look at the reasons to feel grateful for RA: “I like to say that living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a dance on roses — there are plenty of thorns. It can be very difficult to see the positive when you…