Have you ever hesitated before answering the question “How are you?” If the answer is yes, then I want to share something with you. Living with lupus (or any chronic illness) comes with unspoken rules that many of us feel pressured to follow in answering this question: Keep it…
It’s so easy to jump on the woe-is-me, this-isn’t-fair, what-did-I-do-to-deserve-this bandwagon and shout, kick, and scream at the awful “bad luck” and horrible timing of chronic, incurable sickness. Feeling like a victim and falling into grief can seem inescapable when unprovoked pain, flares of skin rashes, hair…
Hey, friend, grab your tea and pull up a chair. I want to have an honest conversation about something we don’t talk about enough: grief. It’s not the kind of grief that comes with funerals and sympathy cards, but rather the quiet, sneaky kind that shows up when life doesn’t…
As one year ends and another begins, many employers give job performance evaluations. That’s when, according to the Society for Human Resource Management, they or their supervisors commend workers for the impact they’ve made on the company and any recognizable or measurable outcomes they’ve helped produce. It’s also…
January 2025 was a month of civics lessons for anyone watching the news. We heard the term “executive order” more times than many of us care to count. While Americans are experiencing a crash course in U.S. government, that political term “executive order” can help pose an important question to…
Near the end of 2024, the support group Lupus in Color posted the following “lupus serenity prayer” on Instagram: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the changes and challenges of living with lupus, the courage to face each day with strength, and the wisdom to do what’s good…
As we flip the page to a new year, the pull of hustle culture on social media hasn’t seemed to change. Messages urge us to do more, achieve more, and push harder. But for those of us living with lupus, this mindset isn’t just unhelpful; it can be downright…
It’s amazing the number of times we hear people speak negatively about themselves or their circumstances. Staying free from the doldrums is a challenge when living with chronic, rare conditions. Honestly, who can stay positive when your body is home to an immune system that attacks and attacks and attacks?…
As another year draws to a close, I find myself reflecting not only on the milestones of the past 12 months, but also on the journey that’s brought me to this moment. When I look back at the years when I was so sick, growing up with unexplainable pain and…
One of the most horrendous aspects of living with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is dealing with the additional diseases and chronic conditions that lupus causes. Lupus is insidious; it ushers in more symptoms and new diagnoses without warning and then releases a brutal, wolfish attack. It’s torturous being the…