The biggest shift in my journey towards healing has been how I eat. I have truly come to believe that how I eat now helped me get out of chronic pain, stop my seizures, and boost me to better health. I won’t say I’ve become an expert, but I definitely feel like I’ve gotten into a good groove of home cooking 95% of my meals and making sure I have good food in the house. So much of that has boiled down to how I grocery shop. I recently posted about tactics for conquering the grocery store where I mentioned a pretty set list of items I buy every week, so I thought I’d share that list today. I alw ..read more

Hello! I have a big life update for ya! Next weekend I’ll be embarking on a 200 hour yoga teacher training - and I could not be more excited. But obviously, with being chronically ill, this was a huge decision to make. For starters, I have no control of how my body is going to feel from day to day. Sometimes I feel like I can do a full day filled with work, hanging out with friends, going on a run, and finish it off with yoga and meditation. But other days, and more often than not, I feel like the absolute most I can do is to pull myself out of bed to work on the couch. So obviously, this deci ..read more

Hello! The last couple weeks have been hard and I’ve been a little radio silent. I’ve been battling a nasty infection in my foot, got a stomach virus, and the heat went out in our apartment during the polar vortex. On the other hand, the last couple of weeks have brought a lot of really amazing things: I finally know what’s going on my my stomach, I got a promotion and a raise, and my dad came to visit! For whatever reason, be it the ups and downs of the past few weeks, or the amount of pain I’ve been in, I have not been able to regulate my emotions very well. So, I want to take some time to r ..read more

I’ve been battling some major January Blues recently. Between the post-Christmas come down, the longer nights and frigid days, and the high expectations of creating kick ass resolutions, I’ve just been completely drained. And with this, I’ve also been feeling pretty down about myself as well. Obviously, I always try my best to stay secure with myself. I’m of the mind that you should never compare yourself to others because everyone is unique, and if you put your best foot forward there really isn’t anything for you to feel bad about or apologize for (Side note: I am making a huge effort to apo ..read more

My obsession with golden milk has reached new heights. I am trying to make everything into a golden milk recipe, and frankly I’m loving every second. Honestly golden milk is just chalk full of anti-inflammatory ingredients that are rich in antioxidants that can help boost your immunity and reduce overall inflammation. In particular, turmeric has powerful anti-inflammatory properties from its active ingredient, curcumin that fights inflammation at a molecular level which can help your body fight any invaders or repair damage! Curcumin is also an antioxidant that protects your body from free-ra ..read more

I’m sure anyone who is epileptic or knows someone who is epileptic will agree: the 6 month no-seizure mark feels amazing! When I hit 6 months seizure free I was so excited, but still not feeling my best. Even though I wasn’t having seizures, my stomach was a mess, I was groggy, and I still had awful chronic migraines. Now though, I’m 6 months seizure free...OFF MEDS! I cannot even explain the bliss and freedom I feel now. I have been on a stream of different meds for almost 8 years(!) and I am finally starting to feel like myself again off of a few of them.  So, how did I manage to do that? I ..read more

Eating a specific diet can be incredibly difficult - particularly when it’s a strict one like the Autoimmune Protocol. One of the best ways I am able to stay on track is to always be sure that I always have food in the house that I can eat. This way, I am less likely to order out or eat something that won’t sit well. I’ve come to enjoy wandering the aisles of the grocery store and I’ve gotten a pretty good system down for grocery shopping while still staying in budget. Below are my top 5 tips for grocery shopping for a strict diet on a budget: Shop the Perimeter First: The perimeter of the gro ..read more

It’s detox week! The week following Christmas right before New Year is the week that I spend mostly getting everything organized and ready to start the new year on the right foot. This year that meant cleansing everything from my environment to my body. So, this week is all about preparations for 2019: Acupuncture: I had two acupuncture sessions this past week and they were both so wonderful! I’ve had a couple of experiences with acupuncture a few years ago but it didn’t really stick - partially because I was a broke college student and partially because I wasn’t as in tune with my body. But m ..read more

I’m sure every spoonie has heard this: “You’ll feel better if you’re active.” Which is so so true but, when you have chronic pain from Lupus or any other autoimmune disorder / chronic pain it can be hard to even get yourself out of bed! How are you supposed to be expected to exercise?! This is something I’ve really struggled with over the past few years. Growing up, I was extremely active; I danced, hiked, and swam on a regular basis. So, becoming so sick and sore that just the activity of getting myself to work was a physical accomplishment was devastating. But, over the past few months, I’ve ..read more

Some real talk about who I am as a person: I am moody, easily irritated, and sometimes difficult to please. I’ve noticed since I started experiencing chronic pain, chronic fatigue, seizures, and everything else that comes along with an autoimmune disorder, my emotional regulation has gone completely bonkers. And, that’s totally normal - people who experience chronic pain are two times more likely to suffer with a mental disorder such as anxiety or depression! I truly believe that it’s incredibly important to let yourself fully feel your emotions and deal with them. But in order to do that, I ..read more