List of the most popular hashtags for theme #SPOONIESTRONG

Always. Always. #chronicillness #chronicpain #chronicfatigue #invisibleillness #invisiblefight #ra #chronicallyill #spoonie #spooniestrong #spoonielife #spooniesupport #spooniewarrior #butyoudontlooksick #StrongerThanYouThink

“If you wanna dazzle, you gotta take razzles. That's a dazzling way to say 'risks'” . . . . . . . . . . #hidradenitissuppurativa #hidradenitis #hidradenitissuppurativawarrior #hidradenitissuppurativaawareness #hidradenitissuppurativasupport #hswarrior #hswarriors #hswarriorsunite #hsawareness #likeforlikes #like4likes #autoimmunedisease #autoimmunewarrior #chronicallyill #spoonie #spoonielife #spoonieproblems #spooniestrong #chronicpain #chronicpainwarrior #chronicpainawareness #chronicillness #chronicillnesswarrior #chronicillnessawareness #pcos #pcosawareness #pcosfighter #pcoscysters #invisibleillness #invisibleillnessawareness

MANY WHEELCHAIR USERS CAN WALK! ♿⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ my collab with @thisthingtheycallrecovery⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ One of the things that I think a lot of invisibly disabled people struggle with when it comes to mobility aids is the perception that strangers (and even people in their lives) may treat them as though they’re ‘faking’ because they 'don't look sick' or may only need to use the aid part-time.⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ I spent years feeling so much shame & embarrassment when going out with my blue badge (I've been followed by a parking attendant to the point a stranger in the street pointed it out to me) because I looked like a healthy early 20-something year old. Using crutches felt easier because they looked more like ‘an injury thing’ (sometimes mobility issues caused by accidents are way more socially acceptable than a body that is just wonky). ⁣⠀ ⁣It took a long time for me to come to terms with the fact I needed to become a wheelchair user for the sake of my health. Aside from the grief at losing physical ability, it's really hard to feel as though you 'deserve' to use a chair when you've grown up around a very specific idea of disability - namely that wheelchair users are paralysed. ⁣⠀ ⁣Annoyingly, I couldn’t find any data on the number of ambulatory wheelchair users, but a many many wheelchair users are able to walk AND may also use a chair for any number of valid reasons. ⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ It is genuinely baffling watching people on the tube follow my legs as I cross them or get out of my chair to do something in public because that perception is still so prevalent. ⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ A big thing for me has been growing the confidence in myself to know that my wheelchair use is legitimate. And seeing other people online in similar situations has truly been amazing and so validating for that. ⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ No matter how I look, or what other people think, they’re not in my body. They don't know. I'm learning to care less about what strangers think, but it can be hard when these prejudices can have very real world consequences for so many. ⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ Disability is so diverse and so are the reasons why someone uses a chair. We need to normalise this & end the stigma. Because #ambulatorywheelchairusersexist & that’s SO valid

Resilience and adaptability are two of the most amazing qualities we possess. For all the times we’ve stood on the cusp of breaking beyond repair from our pain and illness, somehow we always manage to continue on, to expand our limits, to keep going through what feel like insurmountable odds. We are all warriors. Don’t ever let anyone who hasn’t experienced what we have try to take that away from you. #chronicillness #chronicpain #chronicfatigue #invisibleillness #invisiblefight #ra #chronicallyill #spoonie #spooniestrong #spoonielife #spooniesupport #spooniewarrior #butyoudontlooksick #StrongerThanYouThink

WHY I HATE THE 'ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE' NARRATIVE⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ my collab with @thisthingtheycallrecovery⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ A few years ago I had a disagreement with a friend. I was struggling with being almost entirely bed-bound, unable to work, and feeling so beyond frustrated at what I felt was the end of my life. ⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ She'd been through some things, but ultimately, she was able to get out of bed every day & mostly participate in the real world. She told me that she'd been able to make her dreams come true and if I tried hard enough then I would do too.⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ "Bitch, I have to try hard to get out of bed", I thought. It felt like such a dismissal & misunderstanding of my situation & it hurt. Because yet again the assumption was that I wasn't trying hard enough.⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ I've had similar experiences talking to Paralympians, who push the message that if they're able to achieve Olympic glory, anyone can do something that makes them shine. And oh do people love sharing these with me to INSPIRE ME OMG.⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ But...it doesn't work like that.⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ I understand that the messages behind all of this is about self-belief and motivation. And that is important. But these flippant pseudo-inspirational throw out quotes, can often undermine the fact that there is SO MUCH that comes into play when it comes to succeeding (in any form). ⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ Yet again, it's the self-responsibility narrative that completely ignores everything else that may be going on in someone's world. Of course there are people who have managed do things against the most incredible odds & that's amazing. But the 'if I did it, anyone can' always rings so false to me. It's worth remembering that we only hear these kinds of testimonies from the people who made it - and never from the millions who tried & didn't. ⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ Everything from the state of our health, our support networks, our socio-economic background, our gender, our sexuality, the colour of our skin, the country we were born into, and so much more comes into play. ⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ No 2 situations are the same. It's why I keep pushing the message that we need to remember that we are ALL different in SO many ways. Recognise where your life differs & don't assume your experiences are universal

If I had a nickel for every time someone suggested yoga, I’d be rich! #chronicillness #chronicpain #chronicfatigue #invisibleillness #invisiblefight #ra #chronicallyill #spoonie #spooniestrong #spoonielife #spooniesupport #spooniewarrior #butyoudontlooksick #StrongerThanYouThink

IT'S OK TO NOT FEEL LIKE A WARRIOR ⁣⁣⠀⠀ ⁣⠀⠀ my collab with @thisthingtheycallrecovery⁣⠀⠀ ⁣⠀⠀ Before anyone starts getting angry in the comments, I'm going to preface this with my usual thing: this is just MY OPINION. If you get something out of being a warrior - that's great! I'm not belittling or undermining that. It just doesn't do anything for me. ⁣⠀⠀ ⁣⠀⠀ And why is that? Well, inherent in the warrior narrative is that my chronic illnesses are something that I can fight and then either win or lose against - but life's just a lot more nuanced than that.⁣⠀⠀ ⁣⠀⠀ Ultimately, and this is really at the heart of why it does nothing for me, existing in my body is not a choice.⁣⠀⠀ ⁣⠀⠀ Getting on with my life is just something I have to...do...whether I want to or not. I can see why the warrior narrative is compelling for people because the process of even getting through the day feels like such a challenge to overcome and something to be celebrated⁣. And it is! ⁣⠀⠀ ⁣⠀⠀ But to me that's not a *battle*. These are the cards I've been dealt and I just have to live my life. I don't find that inherently 'brave' or 'inspirational'. It just is what it is. It's my normal.⁣⠀⠀ ⁣⠀⁣⠀⠀ I find it exhausting to live my life as if it's a war. I spent so long fighting my body, trying to 'win' by getting better. To prove I was worthy to myself and others.⁣⠀⠀ ⁣⠀⠀ I didn't win. I mean, willpower is not a fair fight against A GENETIC CONDITION. I only ended up hurting myself. ⠀⁣⠀⠀ ⠀⁣⠀⠀ Now, I try to work WITH and ACCEPT my illnesses as PART of my life instead of fighting against them. ⁣⠀⠀ ⠀⁣⠀⠀ That doesn't mean that I've given up. Some days we have to try harder than others. Some days we literally can't try. And that's ok. ⁣⠀⠀ ⁣⠀⠀ I suppose moving away from the fight narrative played a role in helping me accept my reality instead of chasing after an unspecified future, and opened the door for me to safely and realistically find way more things in my life that this constant war I was fighting didn't allow space for. ⁣⠀⠀ ⁣⠀⠀ Ultimately, I'm not sharing to bash anyone or take something away that helps you. I'm just opening up that if you don't feel like you're a warrior, that’s ok too.

Sometimes I feel just getting out of bed is the equivalent of running in a marathon. Spoiler alert: it is‍♀️ . . . . . . . . . . .I found the comic image on r/wholesomememes . . . . . . #hidradenitissuppurativa #hidradenitis #hidradenitissuppurativawarrior #hidradenitissuppurativaawareness #hidradenitissuppurativasupport #hswarrior #hswarriors #hswarriorsunite #hsawareness #likeforlikes #like4likes #autoimmunedisease #autoimmunewarrior #chronicallyill #spoonie #spoonielife #spoonieproblems #spooniestrong #chronicpain #chronicpainwarrior #chronicpainawareness #chronicillness #chronicillnesswarrior #chronicillnessawareness #pcos #pcosawareness #pcosfighter #pcoscysters #invisibleillness #invisibleillnessawareness

16oz purified water w/ squeezed lemon on empty stomach and/or 16-20oz fresh organic celery juice Plant centric, whole foods diet, 7-9 cups of veggies/fruits per day, rich in fiber/prebiotics/probiotics/anti-oxidants _ 10,000 STEPS daily plus 2-3x a week 30-60 minute exercise (cardio, resistance, weights, pilates, swimming, etc) _ 1-3 POOPS DAILY: (if constipated consider: elimination diet, 21 day Cabral Detox, coffee enemas, GI map/functional lab tests) _ DAILY WATER INTAKE: at least 1/2 your body weight (lbs) in oz per day! (aim for purified water like BERKEY or RO + add back minerals) _ MINIMIZE EMF - turn off wifi router at night, take electronics out of bed room or unplug before bed, put phone on airplane mode, invest in EMF blocking: blankets, laptop pads, phone cases, bed canopies, etc. _ ADEQUATE SLEEP: 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night, room temp 65-68 degrees F, no food within 3-4 hours of sleep, turn off electronics 30 min before bed _ NON-TOXIC PRODUCTS/ENVIRONMENT: skin care, personal care, hair care, bath & body care, laundry products, cleaning products, cookware, utensils, furniture/mattresses, building materials (if possible) — add lots of air purifying plants & Air Purifiers to home _ REDUCE/ELIMINATE: alcohol, processed/junk/packaged foods, dairy, gluten, meat, seafood, caffeine, refined sugars, refined flours, non-organic foods _ ⏲FASTING : 12-16 hours nightly, 24 hours weekly, 3 day detox monthly, 7 day detox quarterly _ ‍♀️SWEAT/SAUNA: 2-3 sauna sessions weekly to help sweat out toxins & increase lymphatic drainage _ HERBS/SUPPLEMENTS: daily nutritional support, cilantro, chlorella, ASEA, binders, liposomal glutathione, vit d3, omegas, immune+ _ ‍⚕️CHIROPRACTIC/PHYSICAL: proper spine alignment as it controls functioning of entire body, + stretching, massage & myofascial releases _ ‍♀️DRY BRUSHING/LYMPH: increases circulation, lymphatic drainage & opens detox pathways _ ☕️COFFEE ENEMAS: releases toxins from liver, opens bile duct, helps w/ constipation, reduces toxic load & brain/fog, decreases stagnation _ ‍♀️YOGA & MEDITATION: creates flexibility, a clear/calm mind, journey towards spiritual enlightenment