“My philosophy is less about a “cure” and more about curating a life that is sustainable and fulfilling.” - Luisa, author of Her Chronic Comeback
One of the most frequently asked questions I get is “how the hell do you survive the messy middle?”
The flare ups, the relapses, the dark days.
The depression. The despair.
Luisa shares with us how for her it is not looking to eradicate this part of life living with chronic illness, but is in the learning to live a life that makes space for it.
To bring in the support and make her space accessible and what she needs reachable at any one time.
I loved that she even has a message in her notes ready to send friends during a flare up. Inviting them to check in on her another time.
The boundaries.
The priorities.
What she will accept.
What she won’t.
Why she’s here. Showing up authentically on Substack.
Creating the community that she needs whilst in service to others who live with chronic illness.
The challenges and struggles.
There was no bypassing the horror show of life lived with deeply misunderstood illness and all it strips from you.
In fact, the start of our conversation speaks to the grief and how we move through that in our creative practice.
For those of us combining a whole person approach to healing and looking from the perspective of hope for a different future with our lives, this conversation has it all.
We close with my go to love shower breath.
A breathing practice I would go so far as to consider as movement - a practice that is accessible during all stages of flare, severity and the days where lifting your head off the pillow is not possible.
What are your go to practices and support tips for set backs?
Share away in the comments.
We’d love to learn from you.
Connect with Luisa
Luisa is mother to a 3 year old and lives with SLE lupus and Antiphospholipid Syndrome in Canada.
She’s only 6 months in to her Substack journey and is already the popular author of Her Chronic Comeback.
Luisa joined us in December wanting to make a career out of writing, advocacy and one day speaking.
This was her first live! She makes a great speaker doesn’t she?!
There were a few articles mentioned on our live:
And the first article I wrote on here and where Luisa and I first got chatting in the DMs:
What does a day in the life of the deeply healing look like?
I’ve been asked a few times since I had to give up my full time (and then some) work, my career, a decent income and my life as I knew it due to chronic illness, “what do you do all day?”
Let’s Talk About… past and what’s coming next
Honest conversations about big, bold topics:
Awakening Through Denial with Your Body Knows by K.Covington.
The Illusion of Function with Meena Puri - newly published author of The Relationship Illusion.
Join me for my next live video with Naturopath, Sara Southgate
Tuesday 23rd June for Let’s Talk About… How to Stay HRT Free in Peri-Menopause..
4pm BST / 5pm CET / 11am PT / 8am ET
This live is for those of us who are unable to take HRT due to existing health conditions and increased risk. As well as those of us who are confused about what to do or may want to consider what support is possible alongside taking HRT.
This topic is not to shame anyone who is able to or suggest that it should not be a part of holistic health. I think we can all agree, we don’t need anymore shame!
You are welcome to join us for this conversation if it resonates, even if you are taking HRT.
Sara and I will be discussing what a naturopath is, what is being seen in practice and how we can support ourselves through this life transition.
Register your interest here.
The Wellness Maidens this Friday - You Are Invited
If you enjoyed the love shower breath at the end of our topic outlining a few ways we can create a life that supports our healing, you can join us for more of this connection with self, breath and each other in Friday’s healing circle.
The Wellness Maidens
Friday 5th June 2023
10am - 11am BST (11am CET / 3:30pm IST)
A unique space to slow down. To sit with what hurts. To reclaim the power that lives inside our pain.
Review the full invitation and reserve your space here.
