If you live with chronic illness and autoimmune disease, then you understand just how frustrating and debilitating brain fog can be.  From the embarrassment of forgetting simple words, losing your ability to concentrate and focus or reading the same lines over and over again and still not being able to take it in, brain fog can have a significant impact impact on our work, relationships, study and motivation.  But what is brain fog exactly and what is its important relationship to stress and anxiety? What role does inflammation play with brain fog and how does it affect your cogni ..read more

This episode is a collaboration between myself, my clients and my social media community.  We all know that one of the biggest issues we face is the lack of understanding about what chronic illness is and the ongoing impact it has on those of us living with it.  In this episode I share what those of us with chronic illness most want people to understand and trust me, everyone who contributed to this did not hold back! This podcast is a great one to share with your friends, family, partners and chronic illness communities so make sure you listen and share and if you want to help me ..read more

There is no denying that when it comes to chronic illness, there is a huge gap in peoples understanding of just how much it changes your life, energy and ability.  So when it comes to trying to share your feelings, doubts, fears and sadness about your experiences of living with chronic illness, you are  so often met with toxic positivity responses like 'at least it's not cancer' or 'you just need to be more positive'. Many of the normal emotional experiences that come with chronic illness are so often wrongly interpreted by others as self-pity which feels dismissive, judgmental and ..read more

When you become chronically ill, one of the biggest challenges you will face because of how the disease so often limits your energy and ability, is an increased need for rest. In fact, rest is an essential component of responsible chronic illness management.  Yet so many of us struggle with embracing rest because of ongoing issues of feeling guilty about the amount of rest we need, anxiety about everything that is being left undone and fear of being judged as lazy or selfish.  And if you are resting while still feeling guilty, ashamed or anxious, then you can't get any benefit fro ..read more

The hallmark symptom of all chronic illness is without question, the fatigue.  Every time I ask my community which symptom they most wish they could eliminate permanently, fatigue tops the list.  It is debilitating, disabling and usually coincides with things like brain fog, pain, anxiety and depression.  So it's no surprise that learning how to manage the energy you have is one of the most important challenges those of us with chronic illness face.  Your level of functionality depends on which energy stage you are experiencing now and how much you can resist the tempta ..read more

Having good boundaries in our relationships at any time are essential, but during the holiday season, they take on a much bigger importance! There are so many expectations, pressures and emotions that only happen during the Holidays and New Years Eve that are a sure fire way to ramp up your anxiety and guilt and send you crashing into a major flare that can leave you on the sidelines for days, weeks or even longer.  When it comes to chronic illness, there are two key foundations that I use to not only feel good about setting boundaries, but start keeping them guilt free.  In this ..read more

When you get chronic illness, it doesn't only change your life.  The impact on your family and partners can be huge, potentially damaging and be the cause of so much guilt, conflict, resentment and division.  A few weeks ago, I asked my wonderful email community to ask their partners what sorts of issues or advice they most needed and they definitely delivered! In this episode I answer questions like: Why does my partner seem so negative now? How do I stop feeling so resentful? What can I do when I am worried that the unconventional diet or interventions they want to use will ma ..read more

Irrational thoughts, otherwise known in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy circles as Cognitive Distortions are something that everyone experiences.  The problem with these irrational thoughts is that they can and do influence our behaviour, emotions, beliefs and relationships and they are key contributors to high levels of stress.  They are also the biggest drivers of things like guilt, anxiety, depression, overwhelm, hopelessness and relationship issues. While there are many known and common cognitive distortions that have been identified, when it comes to chronic illness, there are ..read more

When you live with chronic illness, chances are high that you have experienced many moments of fear, overwhelm and grief and for so many of us in the chronic illness community, it can lead to such despair that you give up all hope.  Hope of ever feeling better, hope of ever finding someone to help you, hope of being believed and hope of ever creating a better future for yourself.  In this episode of the Emotional Autoimmunity podcast, I walk you through how this process happens, why we are all vulnerable to it and most importantly, how you can help yourself find that spark of hope ..read more

One of the biggest issues of living with chronic illness is that people don't "get it". They don't understand what it is, how much it impacts every part of your daily life and the complex emotions that go along with it. And because people don't get it and there's so much lack of knowledge and acceptance, you can be left feeling isolated in your experience, feeling so much grief, anxiety and overwhelm and blaming yourself for not dealing with it as well as you think you should. After working with 100's of clients around the world and my own experience living with four autoimmune diseases for ..read more