From August 2011 to September 2012, I wrote a daily blog post to gradually share a lifetime's worth of coping skills and initiatives that I had been collecting since I was diagnosed - as a teenager - with rheumatoid arthritis.
Why 365+ tips? Efficiency. Ease. Comfort.
By the time the idea for this blog came to me, I had been living with rheumatoid arthritis for thirty-three years. During that time, activities I once loved have slowly paraded off into the distance. I stopped doing the work I trained for because it required energy and physicality. Getting through a full work day was impeded by my decreasing mobility and the progression of this chronic disease. My experience of surgeries, hospitals, labs and doctors’ offices adds up to quite the encyclopedia of patience.
Necessity makes a good, if not reluctant, teacher.
I’ve been a collector of the alternative since my teenage years, when my first experience with pain meant I had to find a different way of coping. In A Rheumful of Tips, I share a lifetime’s worth of coping skills, tips and initiatives to make life more manageable and as a result, more enjoyable!
Life with a debilitating and chronic disease presents daily challenges. Everyday tasks, that many take for granted, can prove to be painful and frustrating, not only draining your energy, but making your world smaller. These tips are my way of sharing how I learned to live with the disease and make my life more manageable.
After I Wrote 365 Tips
I stopped writing after one full year at 365 tips. It took an earthquake to ignite a further series of tips as I realized there was still so much more to share.
So, I accepted the challenge to pursue more tips, during which time my blog was nominated for the Healthline Best Health Blog of 2012 Contest. When the 90 days' of voting had finished, I found my blog had made it all the way up into 11th place! Thank you to everyone who voted as it's the readers who make blogging what it is.
In 2020, I finally closed the doors on the old site and moved everything to my Auntie Stress headquarters. You can now find every single ART post safely housed here for you to read, use and enjoy alongside all my Auntie Stress posts.
Disclaimer
Living with a chronic and debilitating disease such as rheumatoid arthritis is challenging. How do you remain independent when the disease process can make even the simplest of activities impossible to do?
On this blog, you can read about the tips and tricks that I use on a daily basis to live my life to the best of my abilities. Always check with your licensed healthcare professional before making any changes in the way you do things.
I am sharing this information because I think you might be curious about how I move through my day.
Disclosure
When I share resources or mention a product on this blog, I occasionally receive a compensation from a very small number of companies listed.
Most often I am simply sharing personal tips about products and services that have inspired me to live each day with a little more ease. No matter what’s in it for me, I only promote products that I believe in - ones that have worked for me and made my life easier.
Links to external websites are provided as a convenience and I take no responsibility for the information provided on those sites.