Wellness culture teaches us that being sick means we are not taking well enough care of ourselves. This thought perpetuates stigma about chronic illness and it causes internalised shame.
So glad it resonated and helped inspire some healing and self compassion. And so sorry to hear that you are not being seen and heard by your family, that is a very painful situation to be in.
Being ‘otherised’ is so painful, especially as us human beings need connection to thrive, and being seen as an ‘other’ can stall true connection. It sounds like you are practicing resilience in being compassionate with yourself and finding acceptance, even though it’s a lot of work and sooo exhausting. And yes, letting go of fear of judgment is like brushing teeth, it’s a daily ongoing spritual practice… that’s how I feel it at least. Glad to connect here.
Thanks for this thoughtful observation. May I suggest that my essay https://open.substack.com/pub/armchairrebel/p/being-good-hasnt-healed-me?r=1mms5x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web is a complement to yours? We seem to be crossing a similar mental and emotional obstacle course. Ableism is like glitter: it gets everywhere.
Thank you so much for sharing your essay. I feel every word. Ableism… urgh.
“Ableism is like glitter” - how spot on. Even when I think I’ve got most of it, I find some lurking behind my ear.
Love this!
100% - and it goes unnoticed until it starts to shred you.
Thanks for posting this. It never occurred to me that wellness culture is ableist. I’m noticing ableism, particularly online, more and more.
I’m glad the post got you thinking about and noticing more ableism 🌸
Great post, I've been coming to these thoughts recently too
Good to hear 🌸
So glad it resonated and helped inspire some healing and self compassion. And so sorry to hear that you are not being seen and heard by your family, that is a very painful situation to be in.
Being ‘otherised’ is so painful, especially as us human beings need connection to thrive, and being seen as an ‘other’ can stall true connection. It sounds like you are practicing resilience in being compassionate with yourself and finding acceptance, even though it’s a lot of work and sooo exhausting. And yes, letting go of fear of judgment is like brushing teeth, it’s a daily ongoing spritual practice… that’s how I feel it at least. Glad to connect here.