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Dear Grace Q & A: How Do I Explain That My Chronic Illness & Life Aren’t a Tragedy?
“What is a simple way of explaining the concept of living well with chronic illness to other people? People without chronic illness seem to find it difficult to understand that I don’t view my life as an awful tragedy…and it takes a long time explaining why I don’t feel that way.” Let’s begin by considering your audience. It helps to meet people where they are because its easier for them and our results will likely be more successful too. Consider the potential mindset of the person you are wanting to understand this. It’s harder to make ourselves clear to someone if we are focused only on what we want to…
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What to Wear All Day Instead of Pyjamas
I know that as ‘an entrepreneur’ I should probably give you the impression that, although I work from home, each day I get up practice yoga, curate a comfortable yet funky outfit, and do my hair and makeup before sitting down to begin my work. But that is not at all true, not even a little bit. I’m not just an entrepreneur, I’m also living with energy constraints. And I’ve been living with chronic health challenges for 13 years. Here’s the truth: many of those years were spent in pyjamas. I’ve had satin pyjamas to prevent bedsores and french linen pyjamas to keep me cool (but they just get soaked…
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He Liked It so He Put a Mitten on It
If you a get an email from me this week, it will probably be short, there may very well be typos, and capital letters? Forget it, that’s way beyond me at the moment. Why? Because I have a new friend/enemy – the computer mitten. You want to know the story? Here we go…Since I first became ill, I’ve had issues with my right side. It always hurt more and it didn’t feel as strong. Both my arm and leg, it was all on the right side. But when I found a new massage therapist recently, her work astounded me. After a massage I had so much more movement and less…
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Space to Grow…into JOY
A few weeks ago a repairman stood in our drawing room, looked around and asked, “So, my love, when are you moving in?” I was shocked. We’ve lived here nearly 7 years. Looking back, I can see why he was confused. The floor was covered in cardboard boxes full of things to donate, sell or recycle. All our paintings were down from the walls, and we’d removed nearly all the furniture. All that remained was a table, two chairs, and an earthenware jug of sunflowers on the chimney piece. I loved it. A blank slate, a clear space to grow into. The story behind all this, of course, is much…
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How I Manage Business, Wellness and Life
As a wellness provocateur and disabled entrepreneur I’m often asked about how I manage business, wellness and life. I am sharing my answer here (with permission from the person who asked). Q: When personal matters grow overwhelming, how do you refocus so that you can effectively run your businesses? This has been on my mind lately; I have more clients right now than ever, which is exciting, but I’m also feeling my symptoms worsen. And I’m not in crisis mode, either, so am not sure of how to proceed. A: It’s challenging that more clients can come, but bring more pressure too. It’s not often talked about, but it’s totally a…
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