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Mid-Year Reflections In A Year Of Pandemic: June Linkup
I can’t believe it’s been over a year since I joined A Chronic Voice’s linkup for the first time! I’ve been meaning to join this way for chronic illness bloggers to connect since, but life intervened (aka symptoms have severely limited my writing time). This month, I was thrilled that not only did I have the mental bandwidth to participate, but also that the prompts aligned with several things bouncing around in my head. Chronic illness in a pandemic presents its own unique challenges. (PS here’s my last linkup post.)
I hope you all are doing as well as you can be. Those of you who love the sunshine, I hope that you are also enjoying the warmer days. I love that the weather will be warmer (in upper 60s or 70s) for about three days, and then rainy for two days—this gives me a good dose of vitamin D when I can sit and walk a little outside.
The rain gives me a break from feeling like I *have* to get outside; we call that pressure to soak up as much warmth as we can “sun guilt” in the Pacific Northwest. The cottonwood trees had the air filled with tufts of white that looked like slow-drifting snow up until recently. Everything is blooming early, including my beauty bush, which is covered in bees and hummingbirds. (Ok, I’ve seen THREE hummers at once, so not exactly “covered!”)
In the world beyond my yard, things are moving ahead as Washington counties move into Phase 2 of coming out of quarantine/social distancing. (My county was added to the list June 5.) High risk populations are to “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” through Phase 3. I’ll talk more about this below.
Let’s dive in. The themes for this month are Searching, Hoping, Honoring, Traumatizing, and Responding.
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Q&A with blogger Hailey Hudson: “Suffering and joy really can and do coexist.”
I love that the Internet provides us with so many opportunities to connect with and be encouraged by fellow writers, and I’m excited to introduce you to Hailey Hudson, whose interests include blogging, freelancing, and fiction writing. She lives with health conditions including POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), carpal tunnel, and undiagnosed conditions causing chronic fatigue, seizures, and GI issues. (Raising awareness about POTS is of personal importance to me, as I also have a form of dysautonomia, an umbrella term for neurological conditions like POTS.)
Hailey is a full-time freelance writer and content marketer who runs the blog The Hardworking Creative. You can also find her on her personal blog, Now All I Know is Grace. I love that she shares monthly wrap-ups highlighting what she’s reading, listening to, watching, grateful for, and more
Earlier this year, Hailey spoke at the 2020 Diamonds Conference, which is an online conference for chronically ill Christians. (I didn’t get to go this year, but it’s something I learned about recently and hope to attend in the future. More info about it below!)
I hope you’re encouraged by this conversation with Hailey on chronic illness, faith, and perseverance.
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The Story Behind My New Blog Name: Starlight through the Storm
Ta-da! You may have noticed that my blog has a new logo as well as a new name! I thought I’d share a behind-the-scenes look at the inspiration behind both. I hope this will give you more insight into what you’ll find on my blog, as well as help you know a little more about the person who runs it.
I’ve literally been trying to pick a name before I even started blogging—over two years ago! (Yep, my blog had its anniversary in March and I kinda let it slip by. Oops!) I’m sure glad I didn’t wait until I had the “perfect” name picked before I started my blogging journey. (I think you should dive into blogging even if you don’t feel 100% ready.)
From poems to PR pieces, the titles have always been a challenge for me. So I’ve been brainstorming (for, ahem, years)…how to choose a blog name that sums up living with chronic illness, and not just surviving but thriving? I wanted to choose a name that sounded specific enough but was also broad enough that it would allow me to talk about all the things that bring me joy when my health turns life upside down—such as my faith, my love of words (and books!) and creativity.
Here’s the story behind coming up with a name for this blog, and why it’s special to me.
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How “Choosing” Helps on Bad Days + Free Printables
“Today I choose to”—these are powerful words to reframe thinking. I’ve started reminding myself that “I have a choice” to help me get through bad chronic illness days, and today I’m sharing my tips for “choosing” when we feel stuck. Plus, I’ve created three free printables to help you choose what you want to focus on, whether you feel stuck because of chronic illness, being at home because of social distancing during quarantine, or whatever challenges you might be facing.
I’ve found that I can tolerate most things if I feel like I have a choice. In other words, when I reframe my thinking and choose how to respond, I feel more in control and able to cope with a situation, even if that situation is far from ideal.
What got me thinking about this? Not too long ago I was lying in my recliner, where I spend a lot of my time due to dysautonomia, fibromyalgia, ME/CFS (myalgic encephalitis/chronic fatigue syndrome), and other chronic conditions. And I was frustrated because I did not want to be there, just watching TV. My mind was buzzing with all of the things I wished I could be doing. I didn’t want to rest, I wanted to do things!
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My Recent Reads – April 2020 Reading Recommendations
If you’re looking for book recommendations, welcome my fellow bookworms! Now’s the perfect time to get in some reading and discover new books to add to your TBR stack. Here are mini book reviews of some of my favorite recent reads.
This post’s collection includes two of my favorite books I’ve read recently, two that creeped me out more than expected, and two others that I enjoyed for their insightfulness and practicality.
If you’ve been following my blog posts recently, you know how excited I am about spring arriving. I love when the weather starts to get warmer because warm weather helps my health conditions and symptoms ease up a little. It’s been especially nice to get outside while much of the world is staying at home in quarantine.
I’ve been sitting outside, walking around a little bit, and taking photos of flowers that are starting to pop up around the yard. It’s kind of like a treasure hunt, or Easter egg hunt. I kind of feel the same way when I discover a book I love—like I’m the first person to find that particular blossom. So here are the not-so-hidden gems I’m excited about in the literary world. I hope the comfort of curling up with a good book helps you during these crazy times.
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Empty Calendar While Stuck At Home? Record The Good Things!
A lot of us are stuck at home or stuck inside right now, and if you’re like me, facing an empty calendar might make you feel blue. I originally envisioned this post for people who spend most of their time at home due to chronic illness, and I hope this topic will be helpful to even more people while we’re experiencing social distancing and self-quarantine.
While staying at home a lot over the last three years due to my health, I’ve found it helpful to look at my blank calendar as an opportunity—it’s the perfect place to record the good things. After all, we don’t have to be busy to be joyful.
This post will help you brainstorm ways your calendar can help you look forward to the future with a sense of anticipation, and look back on memories with a sense of joy and gratitude.
I know not everyone keeps a physical calendar, but if you keep a calendar on your phone or computer, you can use these tips too. Families can use these tips when using the calendar to keep a schedule and sense of normalcy for kids. You could also use this post as a prompt for bullet journaling if that’s the way you prefer to capture what you’ve been up to lately.
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How To Stay Connected From A Distance
This post is all about finding creative ways to stay connected while we’re apart. I’ve been planning to write this post for awhile, and because of quarantine and social distancing, now seems more perfect than ever.
I’m sure everyone is aware that these are very unusual times everywhere. In case you’re interested in what’s going on in my corner of the world: I’ve been home since March 5 at my doctor’s advice to protect myself from COVID-19. On March 16, Americans were asked to stay home as much as possible to flatten the curve (all schools in Washington were officially closed that day as well), and March 23 the Washington state governor issued a stay-at-home order.
To everyone who is taking this seriously and protecting those of us with weakened immune systems: THANK YOU. We can do this, and I have some tips.
If there is one good thing in the midst of all this, it’s that people are realizing how challenging it can be to stay connected when you can’t leave your home. As I shared in a Facebook post, oddly enough, I’ve been able to be more social recently because people are free to talk to on the phone and join video calls.
Chronic illness is super isolating, and the chronic illness community has a lot of advice for everyone experiencing this challenge. (For more on what this looks like in day to day life for people with chronic illness, I recommend this article from The Mighty.)
This post is for everyone experiencing this temporary change due to quarantine and social distancing, as well as though of us who are chronically ill and have had to adapt long-term.
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Send A Box of Sunshine + Free Card Printables
I’m so excited to share new sunshine printables with you, especially since you can use these printables to brighten someone’s day!
I love the gift idea of sending someone a box of happy yellow and orange goodies and calling it “A Box of Sunshine.” I got inspired when I saw this idea on Pinterest and wanted to make my own printables to match the theme. You can download the printables for free at the end of this post. You can use them as a card or a label for your box.
I have a friend whose nickname is Sunshine, and I wanted to send her a package of sunshine during the dark winter months (though this gift idea is perfect year-round too!) The only problem? Like me, she has food allergies. A lot of the boxes I’ve seen online contain a lot of junk food. Sure, it’s colorful, but there must be more healthy and delicious treats to include! Plus, I wanted to think up ideas that weren’t just food-related.
