BeWell Blog

Coping with Fatigue: How to Manage Chronic Illness Exhaustion

Coping with Fatigue: How to Manage Chronic Illness Exhaustion

Written by: Amanda Phillips Fatigue. It's an issue most people experience from time to time, but for those of us struggling to live with chronic illness, fatigue can be a constant, overwhelming part of daily life. Not the kind of...

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Taking Care of Your Skin When You Have a Chronic Illness

Taking Care of Your Skin When You Have a Chronic Illness

Written by: Amanda Phillips Once you are fighting a chronic condition, your plate is already full—consultant visits, drug prescriptions, fatigue, and pain. The last thing you would want is to know that your disease and the treatments you receive have...

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Mental Health and Chronic Illness: How to Cope with Anxiety and Depression

Mental Health and Chronic Illness: How to Cope with Anxiety and Depression

Written by: Amanda Phillips To me, living with chronic illness is not just symptom management. I really feel emotional turmoil weighs just as heavy, if heavier. I know the ride that chronic illness can take: anxiety and depression love to...

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The Benefit of Gentle Exercise for Chronically Ill Patients

The Benefit of Gentle Exercise for Chronically Ill Patients

Written by: Amanda Phillips Living with a chronic illness presents many daily challenges that others may not understand, and exercise is one of these. While it can be hard to exercise when the body is tired, in pain, or stiff,...

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10 Tips and Tricks to Relieve Nausea

10 Tips and Tricks to Relieve Nausea

Written by: Amanda Phillips We've all felt nauseous at one time or another, but if you are living with a chronic condition or regular treatments, such as chemo, it can feel like the most constant and least welcome of companions....

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Advocating for Yourself within the Health Care System

Advocating for Yourself within the Health Care System

Written by: Amanda Phillips For one to have to deal with a chronic illness, it is absolutely overwhelming to find a way to deal with the healthcare system in general. All the doctor's appointments, the insurance issues, complicated treatments-it's just...

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My Normal - Growing Up with Symptoms and Guilt

My Normal - Growing Up with Symptoms and Guilt

Written by: Amanda Phillips As long as I can remember, I was always some form of sick. My stomach would always ache, and I had symptoms no one could ever explain. I thought something was wrong with me, but the...

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Coping with Sensory Overload When You Have a Chronic Illness

Coping with Sensory Overload When You Have a Chronic Illness

Written by: Amanda Phillips Living with a chronic illness is already a heavy load to carry, while the sensory overload just makes life overwhelming. Many of us living with chronic conditions—everything from autoimmune diseases and cancer to other invisible illnesses—are...

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I May Not Look Sick, But I Sure Do Act It

I May Not Look Sick, But I Sure Do Act It

Written by: Amanda Phillips You see a Ferris Wheel. I see crowds, anxiety, and no fast way to get to a bathroom. There is a lot of talk about invisible illnesses regarding chronic conditions such as Crohn's disease. To the...

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Mentally Preparing for an Ostomy

Mentally Preparing for an Ostomy

Written by: Amanda Phillips I've always been worried that one day I would need an ostomy. I'm not going to lie, the first one I saw was on Instagram, and I thought it was so gross. How could I ever...

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A Guide to Awareness Ribbon Colors

A Guide to Awareness Ribbon Colors

Written by: Amanda Phillips Living with a chronic illness or being thrown into the chaos of a cancer diagnosis, one knows how much life may change. Been there, done that, and though the journey is not easy, some of the...

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Grieving the Loss of Myself: Life with Chronic Illness

Grieving the Loss of Myself: Life with Chronic Illness

Written by: Ashley The Pain of Losing Who I Once Was One of my biggest struggles with IBD has been grief. And I’m not grieving the loss of a family member, a friend, or a loved one—I’m grieving the loss...

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