This is such a COMMON MISCONCEPTION about chronic illness!!

I am finding myself escaping judgment like this the more I discover healing and am able to do more things. But, for the first 3 years of my Lyme journey when I was home-bound and bedridden, I received many comments about how lucky I was to just lay around at home all day.

To this day, I still receive comments about how my illness gives me "so much more time." That's just simply not the case.

Whether you're chronically ill, or healthy as can be, managing time is something that everyone has to learn. And an illness adds extra to the list of to-do's and compels one to re-prioritize.

It's a DAILY, CONSTANT battle.

Daily appointments.
Daily protocols.
Daily fatigue.
Daily pain.
Daily stress.
Daily heartache.
Daily discomfort.
Daily routines that if I don't do I'll be sicker than I already am.

Chronic illness doesn't make life any easier just because I can't hold a full-time job or go to college full time.  It's not a constant vacation, and it's not an excuse for me to be lazy. On the contrary, it often adds to my life because I have to work twice as hard to acquire QUALITY of life.

Don't assume that anyone's lot is easier than yours. Instead, offer compassion and love. I know I have it easier than some of my other chronically ill friends, but that still makes me journey hard for me. And through the hard, I'm learning how to ask for help and rely on God and the people who love we me the most to give me the daily love and help that I need. We are all learning how to do that, and we will be a lot more successful as we work to encourage and help one another through it all. Asking for help and not being able to do "normal" things is nothing to be ashamed of. My story looks different than the average young person, and that's okay. My job is to live life with this illness to the fullest that I can manage.​

Comment below if you relate, and remember that taking time to rest and do treatment is nothing to be ashamed of!

It is one of those weeks where I feel the tired vibe very fiercely, and I've been praying hard lately for strength through the weariness.

I believe that everyone can relate to this in one way or another, so you would think that this isn't something that is commonly misunderstood.  Everyone knows what it's like to be tired right!?  Well yes, but there is a difference between being tired, and being BONE tired from fighting the good fight for years and wondering if you will ever have a month or a year free from the pain.  I regularly have to remind myself that when someone tells me they are tired it is, more often than not, a cry for help.

I learned this week that there are simply times in life when sleep isn't necessarily the remedy for this form of exhaustion and weariness.  Oftentimes LOVE is what can invigorate a wearied soul.

Never underestimate how far a phone call, a hug, a hand to hold, or a kind word can go to someone who feels weary.  I will always be a firm believer that love conquers all, and so in our moments of pain or healing may we all be able to offer a healing hand to those who are incredibly "tired."

Comment below if you can relate to this form of being "tired" and what helps you get through it!