How to Find Work-Life Balance with Chronic Illness
How very apropos! I am taking a leave of undetermined time from my job at HealthCentral to allow my body to recover fully before I do the work thing. And this is when my new post for Mango Health on the work-life balance with chronic illness was published:
Numb Hands and Dragon Scales: Coping with a Traumatic Health Experience
It is still with me. The ICU experience, the hospital stay, the surreal fact that I was so very sick, that I came so close to death. It colours part of every day and I suspect it will continue to do so for some time to come. Trauma sticks around. At first, I thought I…
How Creativity Can Help You Cope
I was really excited when I was approached by Mango Health and they asked if I’d write some articles for them. Mango Health has created an app that helps you remember when to take your medication, and remind you of when renewals of your prescriptions are due (available in the US). Super helpful. They also…
Five Things I Love about Being a Writer
I spent this past weekend noodling around with words and a great time. So I thought I’d wax rhapsodic about five things that I love being a writer. Living the dream I’ve wanted to be a writer since I knew what one was. After taking a sidetracked into higher education and a “real” day job…
#ChronicChristmas Day 25: Enjoy
It’s here. By the time you read this, you’ve probably done the big rip (especially if you have kids) (or you still retain the childlike wonder about pressies). I’m all about the latter. Maybe even the childlike wonder about the magic of this particular holiday. It’s what gets you through a busy, emotional day. Connecting…
#ChronicChristmas Day 24: Julehygge or Welcoming the Spirit of Christmas
Today, my family is celebrating Juleaften. Celebrating what….? Juleaften. Or Christmas Eve in Danish. Where I come from, the grand celebration happens tonight with a special dinner — a.k.a. the Best Meal of the Year — and exchanging presents. And it means that today is about disconnecting and decompressing and let the julehygge take over….
#ChronicChristmas Day 23: Sing
When is the last time you sang? I mean, really belted one out, disappearing into the music and the feeling, and not caring about the dogs howling in the neighbourhood, and the cracks appearing in your glasses? OK, so maybe that last part doesn’t happen to everyone. Did I ever mention that my sister has…
#ChronicChristmas Day 22: Good Enough
There are only a few days left to finish it all — how much is left on your list? Unless you are one of those incredibly organized people who have every bow tied, and every piece of tinsel polished before Labor Day, chances are you are near hysterics by now. So I’m going to suggest…
#ChronicChristmas Day 21: Embrace the Small Moments
What do you remember from past Christmases — the times everything went according to plan, or the moments when imperfection snuck into the celebrations? We work so hard to make the holidays perfect, but that’s not what makes for enduring family legends. One of my favourite memories was the year when the tree slowly, but…
#ChronicChristmas Day 20: Ask for Help
Me do it. I’m not a toddler, but you will quite frequently hear me say similar words. Perhaps a bit more eloquent, as my language skills have improved somewhat since I was two. But really. It boils down to the same thing. I bet you’ve been stuck in the same place more than once, but…
#ChronicChristmas Day 19: Be Kind to Someone
Christmas doesn’t just come from a store. Yes, we’re back to those immortal words by the green guy in my favourite Christmas special. Because contrary to everything in every commercial starting earlier and earlier in November every year, this season isn’t actually about consumerism. It isn’t even about buying presents for each other (or yourself)….
#ChronicChristmas Day 18: Buy Yourself a Present
You have a list, and you’ve checked it not twice, but a dozen times or more. It’s colour-coded, carefully organized to keep track of which gifts you bought for whom, who you’re still working on, where the gifts are on the various stages between stuck in the closet somewhere in a pile of bags to…