BeWell Blog

Thanksgiving Travel Preparation with Chronic Illness

Thanksgiving Travel Preparation with Chronic Illness

Written by: Amanda Phillips Thanksgiving is about family, friends, and tradition, but it often involves travel to reach loved ones. Traveling during the holiday season can be quite overwhelming for people living with chronic illnesses. Waiting in crowded airports, enduring...

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How to Cope with Seasonal Affective Disorder: Keeping Your Mind Well When Days are Dark

How to Cope with Seasonal Affective Disorder: Keeping Your Mind Well When Days are Dark

Written by: Amanda Phillips Living with a chronic illness is never easy, but the shorter, darker days of winter can make it especially challenging. A lack of sunlight can leave many people feeling sad, listless, and lethargic—all symptoms of a...

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Tips for Staying Warm and Healthy: Preparing for Cold Weather with Chronic Illness

Tips for Staying Warm and Healthy: Preparing for Cold Weather with Chronic Illness

Written by: Amanda Phillips When the temperatures drop, living with a chronic illness means adding another layer of symptom management into your daily routine. Cold weather can trigger flare-ups, worsen joint pain, and increase discomfort. But with a little planning,...

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Halloween with Chronic Illness: Low-Energy Costume Ideas and Activities

Halloween with Chronic Illness: Low-Energy Costume Ideas and Activities

Halloween can be so much fun, but often, if you live with a chronic illness or cancer, it just might feel overwhelming. The costumes, parties, and all of those trick-or-treaters can be fatiguing activities when your body already seems to...

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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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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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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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Why a Cozy Blanket Is a Must-Have for Spoonies This Fall

Why a Cozy Blanket Is a Must-Have for Spoonies This Fall

Written by: Amanda Phillips As the days shorten and temperatures cool, the simple comfort of warmth becomes, quite literally, essential to those of us living with chronic illness. Be it for joint pain, exhaustion, or a seven- or eight-hour hospital...

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Showing Up Directly for Someone with Cancer: 10 Ideas

Showing Up Directly for Someone with Cancer: 10 Ideas

Written by: Amanda Phillips October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and you'll likely see a slew of pink products on the shelves, touting various brands that give a portion of their sales to benefit breast cancer research and awareness. While...

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Creating a Cozy, Healing Environment at Home: Tips for Chronic Illness Warriors

Creating a Cozy, Healing Environment at Home: Tips for Chronic Illness Warriors

For a person with chronic illness, home is not merely a place of abode but a haven of rest and recuperation. Creating a cozy and healing environment at home can help a person feel better in general, alleviate discomfort on...

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Must-Have Gifts for Anyone Who Has a Chronic Illness

Must-Have Gifts for Anyone Who Has a Chronic Illness

It is so hard to give a thoughtful gift to someone with a chronic illness. You want it to be practical but, above all, comforting. A truly great gift is something that makes their day-to-day life a little bit easier...

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