Chronically Optimistic
On the weekend I had a strange encounter on Instagram. This person told me that if I think positively, all my problems would disappear. I blocked her as I didn’t want to waste my precious energy on that person. I wrote this essay about toxic positivity because it is important to learn how to cope […]
My sleep the last weeks has not been so good, mainly because I let my sleep hygiene slip at bit. So as a reminder for myself and some food for thought for you, the topic of this week’s newsletter is how to sleep better. Sleep is often disrupted when you have a chronic illness. Living […]
In September I wrote about the power of radical acceptance for us living with chronic illnesses. There I discussed how this concept can help reduce suffering, enhance psychological resilience, improve emotional well-being, and strengthen relationships. But the journey doesn’t end with understanding; it’s an ongoing process of self-discovery and growth. In this follow-up blog post, […]
Living with a chronic illness can be a challenging journey. Often it requires an immense amount of strength and resilience. Coping with all the physical, emotional, and psychological challenges sometimes feels overwhelming. However, it’s important to remember that you don’t have to face it all alone. Accepting help from others is a valuable skill that […]
I have been taking NADH for a while and when I stopped taking it, for me, it made a difference for the worse. NADH stands for “nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) + hydrogen (H).” It occurs naturally in the body and is a coenzyme that plays a crucial role in cellular energy production. That’s why for […]
Living with Chronic Illness Radical Acceptance is one of my core foundations in living with my chronic illnesses. I used it even before I knew the correct term. I felt deep down that there was no point in resisting the diagnosis and illnesses. I’ll never forget the day I found out I had celiac disease. […]
The Pros and Cons of Tracking Symptoms Are you tracking the symptoms of your chronic illness? I did, and I still do, but I change what I track frequently. Some months I track how long and well I sleep, some months I track specific ME/CFS and while I was getting diagnosed I tracked 10 different […]
What Are the Benefits and Risks? These last two weeks had been tough. I had been to the “Jurassic World” exhibition in Cologne with my teenager, which was a fantastic experience. It wasn’t just an exhibition; it felt like you were actually visiting the island. There were dinosaurs of all sizes, even baby ones, and they moved […]
It is easy to see only the problems, downsides and negative effects of having chronic illnesses. In my example it is not being able to eat the food I want to eat due to celiac disease or live the life I would like to live due to ME/CFS. But I hate dwelling on the negatives, […]
After a four-week round of cortisone my weight reached a new height I am totally not comfortable with. I feel and am bloated everywhere. Of course, I needed the cortisone due to my allergic asthma because as I always say: breathing has top priority. But it is one of the main reasons I gained so much weight. I had lost […]