Mental Well-Being
Yes, Living with RA Makes Me Cranky
We all need to be moody sometimes. The challenges of living with rheumatoid arthritis are sometimes reason enough for me. Here's what I do when my mood turns cranky.
September 30, 2024
You are not alone. These stories can help you navigate the emotional and psychological side of living with RA.
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Mental Well-Being
The Decision Fatigue of Living with Chronic Illness — and How to Manage It
Adults make thousands of decisions each day. Multiple sclerosis and other chronic illnesses add even more to the burden. Here's how simplify the process.
August 28, 2024
Mental Well-Being
How Talk Therapy Helped Me Find My Own Narrative with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Talk therapy was the best remedy for me to live well with rheumatoid arthritis. Here's why.
July 30, 2024
Mental Well-Being
How Ecstatic Dance Helps Me Manage Chronic Illness
Ecstatic dance has broadened my community and given me a unique hobby I can access anywhere in the world.
July 03, 2024
Mental Well-Being
8 Steps to Accept the Things You Can’t Fix About Chronic Illness
Accepting the things you can’t fix can help you go from surviving to thriving when living with a chronic illness.
June 17, 2024
Mental Well-Being
How to Manage Sleep Anxiety So You Can Rest Well and Prevent Flare-Ups
Getting a good night's sleep can mean the difference between a flare-up or not. Here's how to get one.
May 23, 2024
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Mental Well-Being
It’s OK to Feel Self-Pity with Chronic Illness
I usually try to focus on the positive and feel gratitude for how much my disease-modifying treatment has given back to me. But sometimes, during a flare, I wallow in self-pity. And that’s a perfectly natural reaction to loss.
May 20, 2024
Mental Well-Being
Why App-Based Teletherapy Has Been the Best Option for Me
Trying app-based teletherapy was the best option for me.
May 07, 2024
Mental Well-Being
Dear Younger Me: Everything Will Be OK
No one told me everything would be OK. Here’s what I wish I could’ve told myself.
April 01, 2024
Mental Well-Being
The Benefits of Self-Compassion When You Live with Chronic Illness, Plus 13 Tips to Practice It
Being kind to yourself can reduce stress and potentially inflammation too. Here's how to start.
March 29, 2024
Mental Well-Being
This Silly Thing My Primary School Science Teacher Taught Me Helps Me Get Through Hard Days
A simple change in perspective can go a long way.
March 26, 2024
Mental Well-Being
This Wise Little Narwhal Has Something to Teach Us All About Invisible Illness
Migraine representation in children's books is important for everyone, not just kids.
March 14, 2024
Mental Well-Being
The Link Between Situational Depression and Chronic Illness
Learn about the difference between clinical and situational depression among people with chronic illnesses like COPD.
February 02, 2024
Mental Well-Being
If You Experience Health Anxiety, You’re Not Alone
Health anxiety is common in people living with chronic conditions — and your fears are real and understandable. Learn tips for reducing anxiety and how to get help if needed.
May 03, 2023
Mental Well-Being
How to Cope When the World Seems to Have Moved on from COVID-19
As public concern over COVID-19 wanes, many people who are immunocompromised are feeling left behind. Here are six tips for caring for your body and your mind during this time.
January 24, 2023
Mental Well-Being
6 Tips to Cope With Isolation and Find Community During the Winter Months
Living with a chronic condition can feel isolating, and winter can make that worse. From learning a new hobby to finding a support group, these activities can remind you that you are not alone.
January 19, 2023
Mental Well-Being
How to Navigate Ongoing Grief with a Chronic Condition
When you're living with a chronic condition, you may never stop grieving the life you had before your diagnosis. Lauren Selfridge, a therapist living with multiple sclerosis, shares how to recognize and live with ongoing grief.
January 02, 2023
Mental Well-Being
My RA Diagnosis Helped Me Confront My Negative Body Image
RA can change how we feel about our bodies. In my case, it made me reassess how I viewed my body in ways that I never thought were possible.
December 18, 2022
Mental Well-Being
Mindset Matters: Moving Through the Strange Feeling of Grieving Your Old Life
Grieving your old self is a little different than grieving a loved one who's passed. Here's how I moved forward.
December 13, 2022
Mental Well-Being
How to Stop Making a Mountain Out of a Molehill with Chronic Illness
Worry and anxiety are common among people with chronic illnesses. These tips can help you slow down and understand your emotions to both improve your mood and your quality of life.
December 01, 2022
Mental Well-Being
We Need to Talk About Chronic Pain and Suicide
People with chronic pain are at a higher risk of mental health conditions, which can lead to suicidal ideation and suicide. Several factors can heighten this risk, which is why it's important to speak up about it.
November 16, 2022
Mental Well-Being
The Pain-Energy Cycle and How to Pace Yourself with Chronic Illness
It can be hard to resist the urge to do everything at once when you have energy between flare-ups. But it’s important to remember to rest.
September 28, 2022
Mental Well-Being
Mindset Matters: How to Gently Stop the Mental Spirals That Accompany Chronic Illness
It's easy to spiral into negative thought patterns with chronic illness. But with a little self-awareness and reframing, you can start to get your thoughts under control.
September 15, 2022
Mental Well-Being
Managing Guilt with the Unpredictability of Chronic Illness
If you have a chronic condition like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), canceling plans last minute can come with the territory.
August 16, 2022
Mental Well-Being
Mindset Matters: Fostering Self-Love and Rediscovering Yourself Post-Diagnosis
Mindset Matters is led by Nat Kelley, a certified life and mindset coach. This month, she focuses on ways to practice self-love and find the "new you" after a diagnosis.
August 10, 2022
Mental Well-Being
Navigating the Big Emotions of a Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis
Having RA can be like riding on a roller coaster, full of ups and downs.
July 28, 2022
Mental Well-Being
Understanding Grief When It Comes to Your Chronic Condition or Disability
Having a chronic condition or disability can mean living without a lot of things. It’s important to talk about this grief and find ways to cope.
June 10, 2022
Mental Well-Being
How Nature-Based Therapy Can Improve Your Mental Health
Medication isn’t the only way to treat your mental health when you live with a chronic condition. You might be surprised by all the benefits you can find right in the world around you.
May 27, 2022
Mental Well-Being
What I’ve Learned About ‘Painxiety’ and Psoriatic Arthritis
It can feel difficult and isolating to cope with “painxiety” during flare-ups. Over the years, I've found a few ways to ease these feelings of worry.
May 02, 2022
Mental Well-Being
Confronting Isolation and Self-Doubt When You Live with an Invisible Chronic Condition
Living with a chronic condition comes with a lot of emotions. It’s incredibly isolating, frustrating, and sometimes leaves you questioning your own body and its experiences.
April 18, 2022
Mental Well-Being
How Therapy Can Help If You’re Living with a Chronic Illness
Finding the right therapist — one who understands life with chronic illness — can make all the difference.
March 14, 2022
Mental Well-Being
Uncover These 3 Superpowers to Reduce Pandemic Stress
We can't control the ongoing pandemic, but we can control how we react to the stress it's creating in our lives.
February 28, 2022
Mental Well-Being
Grieving the Former You After a Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis
Grief is real and loss hurts. Here are some tips I've learned about grieving my former self and life.
February 24, 2022
Mental Well-Being
Why — and How — I Made My Own Rheumatoid Arthritis Community
After my diagnosis, I found it hard to talk to my friends about how I was feeling. Creating an RA community helped me find support in ways that I really needed.
February 16, 2022
Mental Well-Being
My Post-Diagnosis Journey to Psoriatic Arthritis Acceptance
Learning to embrace and accept my psoriatic arthritis required rest, time, and reflection about my self-worth and productivity.
January 11, 2022
Mental Well-Being
Living with a Chronic Illness Can Be Isolating — These Tips Can Help
Even when it feels hard to reach out, taking small actions can help us feel more connected to others.
November 12, 2021
Mental Well-Being
3 Superpowers to Reduce Pandemic Stress You Didn’t Know You Already Had
3 Superpowers to Reduce Pandemic Stress You Didn’t Know You Already Had
November 02, 2021
Mental Well-Being
Living with Undiagnosed Chronic Pain Is Hard, But Please Don’t Give Up
When you live with undiagnosed pain, self-advocacy, hope, and resilience are key.
August 26, 2021
Mental Well-Being
How Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Helps Me Manage Anxiety and Rheumatoid Arthritis
ACT didn't make my anxious thoughts go away entirely, but it gave them less power over me.
August 17, 2021
Mental Well-Being
Medical Burnout in People with Chronic Conditions Is Real — Here’s How to Cope
It’s important to address burnout as soon as possible to keep yourself healthy and happy.
July 12, 2021
Mental Well-Being
It Took a Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis for Me to Finally Address My Mental Health
I'm glad I was finally able to get the care I needed — even if it took a life-changing diagnosis to get me there.
June 29, 2021
Mental Well-Being
8 Tips for Coping with ‘Reopening Anxiety’ When You’re Living with a Chronic Condition
Ready or not, the world is reopening around us. Here's how to reengage on your own terms.
June 10, 2021
Mental Well-Being
What Rheumatoid Arthritis Brain Fog Feels Like and How to Cope
Feeling foggy? Be kind to yourself as you learn to manage this frustrating RA symptom.
April 27, 2021
Mental Well-Being
How Embracing the Inevitability of Suffering Can Help You Thrive with Chronic Pain
While some things help, for many chronic illness diagnoses, nothing fixes. This is where changing your mindset may help more than changing your treatment.
March 12, 2021
Mental Well-Being
How to Reimagine What Fulfillment Means to You When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned
Life’s uninvited challenges, like illness and loss, can help us find deeper fulfillment in the present moment.
October 28, 2020
Mental Well-Being
8 Tips for Navigating Difficult Times That I’ve Learned from Living With a Chronic Illness
There's tremendous wisdom to be gained from the experience of living with a chronic condition.
June 26, 2020
Mental Well-Being
Don’t Have the Energy for Zoom Happy Hours Right Now? Me Neither, and That’s OK
It can be hard to ignore internet pressure to have a “productive pandemic.”
June 12, 2020
Mental Well-Being
Your Productivity Doesn’t Determine Your Worth. Here’s How to Let That Sink In
Despite what our culture may lead you to believe, you are so much more than a to-do list.
April 08, 2020