Article, Science, Wellbeing
Published by
Ellie on 26th March 2021
In celebration of Women’s History Month we have put together a round up of our favourite Women bloggers in the chronic pain space. Blog articles and their authors are an essential part of the chronic pain community providing support as well as being a hub of useful information from likeminded people giving you a big dose of positivity.
Here at To Better Days we believe it’s crucial we hear all voices surrounding living with Chronic Pain Conditions and that especially true when it comes to women. Pain for women has historically been ignored, written off as normal and therefore accepted as part of being a woman. It’s important to give pain the expression it deserves and demand to be taken seriously. These women are doing a fantastic job of doing just that, breaking the stigma surrounding women and pain one post at a time.
So here is our list of 8 women who inspire us. They write real, honest and practical advice on a range of topics from travel to wellness, alternative pain relief to product reviews. Is it time for you find your next favourite blogger?
Lupus Chick
Marisa is a speaker, author, and founder of the nonprofit and social community, LupusChick.com. LupusChick serves to educate and empower those living with lupus and other autoimmune diseases and chronic illnesses. It offers guiding principles, personal stories, and recipes that support whole-life thriving. Marissa has been a fierce advocate and speaker in the world of chronic illness for over 13 years and this energy transpires in her writing. She has spoken for and acted as a consultant for global companies such as Astra Zeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis and Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
Marisa has recently published her own book, Chronically Fabulous which inspires readers to continue striving toward their goals and not let a diagnosis or disability define who they are.
Marisa quotes:
Our gifts and talents didn’t run for the hills when we were diagnosed with an illness or experienced trauma. It’s that flurry of uncertainty that we need to look at them with fresh eyes as we adapt to every new situation.” We look forward to reading Marisa’s book!
Follow Lupus Chick on Instagram
Back Pain Blog UK
Bar has been writing Back Pain Blog since 2007 after suffering with chronic pain for over 30 years. She is a mother of two, grandmother of one, an author, freelance blogger, and social influencer.
She finds blogging to be therapeutic, filling her with purpose. Before starting to write, she would read inspiring stories of women blogging from home which encouraged her to do the same.. She finds writing to be her biggest healer and suggests it to anyone who experiences chronic pain. Back Pain Blog covers a wide variety subjects such as sleep, product reviews and mental health, providing practical advice for the community. Bar has won many awards for her amazing content including the WEGO award for Best Blog and Best Chronic Pain Blogger from the Migraine Relief Centre.
Her motto is:
Never, Never, Ever Give Up.
A Chronic Voice
A Chronic Voice is a personal blog by an incredibly inspiring woman named Sheryl, based in Singapore. She lives with a variety of conditions including Antiphospholipid Syndrome, Lupus (SLE), Sjögren’s Syndrome, Epilepsy and others.
Sheryl’s mission for her blog is to raise awareness about lifelong illnesses from various perspectives. She believes every patient, illness and how they experience pain is different. Sheryl runs giveaways throughout the year and provides monthly writing prompts to the community, for example a few of this month’s are breathing, smiling, stopping and relishing. These provide opportunity to share, to listen, and to learn from one another. She has a passion for travel and her blogs are full of positivity and motivation.
Her website states:
There is no single technique or approach to managing these symptoms, but every tool in the toolbox helps.
Follow A Chronic Voice on Instagram
My Several Worlds
My Several Worlds is written by Carrie; an experienced patient leader and health advocate, a world traveller, and a Canadian living in Taipei, Asia. She originally launched her blog in January 2007 to showcase her travels, different cultures in Asia, and life in Taiwan.
However, In 2009, she received the diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis followed by fibromyalgia and MECFS which saw her take a turn in her writing to focus more on her health journey. Her mission was to provide information on illnesses for readers all over the world including advocates, patients, and caregivers, so they know they are not alone in their journey. When Carrie researched chronic illness in Asia she quickly realised that there were lots of patients receiving improper treatment or education on managing life with chronic illness – a topic which soon became central to Carrie’s blog.
Carrie believes strongly that you should not let your chronic illness limit your life, she states:
I believe that the only life worth living is one that you’re truly passionate about. Living life passionately with limitations from chronic illness takes more than many of us might have to give, but these invisible illnesses have shaped the several worlds I live in and have inspired me to support others who are in similar situations.
Arthritis Foodie
Emily was diagnosed with seronegative arthritis at the age of 20. Following frequent Google searches and being fed up of not being able to find information about living well with Arthritis, she took the power into her own hands and started Arthritis Foodie on Instagram.
The purpose of Arthritis Foodie is to share natural whole food recipes and talk about her experience with natural remedies. This includes recipes, product reviews, fitness tips and ways to manage pain.
Since Emily started Arthritis Foodie in 2018, her movement has unsurprisingly snowballed into a thriving community resulting in Emily writing a book; Beat Arthritis Naturally, which is currently available for pre-order. The book shares Emily’s top tips and tricks for managing symptoms, along with quick exercise sequences and delicious recipes made with unprocessed whole foods.
Follow Arthritis Foodie on Instagram
Despite Pain
Despite pain is a blog run by a wonderful lady named Liz. Liz suffers with osteoporosis, arthritis, Reynaud’s and other conditions. Liz has lived with chronic pain from childhood after developing scoliosis at 10 years old. Liz believes recognising your pain and acknowledging how it affects you helps to find ways of coping. Her blog looks at coping techniques as well as focusing on emotions and ways to deal with them. In Despite Pain, Liz tries to explain what living with constant pain can be like and does so in an informative and motivating way, sharing coping tips to help others.
Liz’ quotes:
Life with chronic pain can be unpredictable, frustrating and tiring. I try to search for glimpses of sunshine and hold on to them
Follow Despite Pain on Instagram
Katie May
Katie May is a 24 year old full time content creator from the UK living with a number of chronic conditions. She was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis when she was 17 years old and then in 2018 was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
Her personal blog’s focus is on living well with a chronic illness and brings a refreshing perspective to the chronic pain community – it’s is clear she is passionate about making the most of life! She writes about book reviews, management tips, travel guides and wellbeing guides for living a well life. However, her main theme is her personal experience of living with a chronic illness.
Sharing stories is such an important part of the chronic pain community and Katy May does a fantastic job of that in her spoonie diaries series. Not only does Katy May share stories of her own experiences, but also stories of other inspiring individuals and how they manage life with chronic pain.
Invisibly Me
Invisibly me is a (adjective) personal blog written by Caz. Caz is a health blogger and freelance writer living with multiple chronic illnesses. Her articles include life hacks, product reviews and nutrition advice based on her experiences providing insight, guidance, as well as raising awareness for those living with an invisible illness.
Caz She won Best Lifestyle Blog at the Annual Bloggers Bash and it is easy to see why. Her posts make for an inspiring and entertaining read.
If Caz could give some advice it would be this:
Life with chronic illness, chronic pain or other disability is a continual learning curve. Don’t beat yourself up for dealing with your condition differently to others, or for feeling like you’re not as positive about it all as you’re made to feel you should be. There’s no right way to manage your symptoms or live your life, so go at your own pace and start writing your own rules. Forget about how life ‘should’ look or what you ‘should’ be doing and feeling. It takes time to adjust our perspectives, goals and expectations when our whole playing field has been changed. Try to focus on what you can do, not what you can’t so that you can be your own advocate and take back a bit of control in your life.
