I was awake for half the night. This is not unusual, but often I am coming up with topics to write about in this column or speak about on my YouTube channel. Instead, I was traveling down memory lane to things I have tried to avoid and misconceptions I…
I have thought about death and mortality more than the average 20-something. In fact, I love nothing more than debating the philosophy around it. To me, death isn’t a cause for anxiety or fear; it is a fact of life. A fact I have been at peace with for some…
I am slight in build. I am a woman who is bald. I am battling lupus. I am not fragile. If you were to stop and look at me, I might look as if I could break. At the start of 2020, I weighed 99 pounds. I’m happy to report…
I often remind myself that worrying isn’t helpful, especially because stress is a lupus trigger. In my past life as a well person, I always thought I handled stress masterfully. But after being diagnosed with lupus, I notice that my biggest flares happen when I experience high stress levels.
We are living in a unique time, and I am not referring only to the COVID-19 pandemic. How many times in your life have you wished you had more downtime? How often have you wished for more time to do the less urgent, little things you never seem to get…
I was hospitalized the first month of this year, and I hope it’ll be the only time this happens in 2020. After the hospital, I was sent to a rehabilitation center. It was the first time since my diagnosis that I did rehab at this level. When I was younger,…
The lupus life can feel seriously lonely. Supporters surround me, but I know they can’t understand the things I endure. Lupus can create a whole lot of problems, mentally and physically. A tiny symptom can become something serious. When serious flares strike, I fear that one of the many…
My last column focused on fear and other potential effects of being in isolation. As Australia continues to lock down, I have experienced different waves of emotions. The first was anxiety. If you are overcome with anxiety, know that you are not alone in feeling a…
Lupus is unpredictable. If you have it, you might wake up feeling it’s a good energy day only to end up in the hospital. Now, in addition to already living a topsy-turvy life, we have a global pandemic to manage. Those of us already coping with depression and anxiety from…
As the novel coronavirus spreads across the world, my native Australia is slowly being coaxed into lockdown. At the start of this week, state and federal authorities announced they would shut down all “nonessential” activities soon. In my life, this means that training at the gym, Brazilian jiujitsu, and yoga…