a woman holding a laundry basket overflowing with clean laundry

Tiny Task Tuesday – Celebrating All I’ve Achieved In May 2021

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We’re one month into the Tiny Task challenge, so today I’m celebrating all that I’ve achieved this month. If you’re not familiar with Tiny Task Tuesday, it’s all about training ourselves to pace, break activities down into smaller tasks and create sanctuary at home, one tiny task at a time. You can read more about how it all began over here. I hope you will join me whenever possible, if you do, use the hashtag #TinyTaskTuesday so I can find…

Read MoreTiny Task Tuesday – Celebrating All I’ve Achieved In May 2021
Char outside in the garden wearing a sunhat and sunglasses, title reads: exploring the garden and our first BBQ in years. Personal update.

Exploring The Garden And Our First Family BBQ In Years

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​Last year, at the end of Summer, we moved into this house that has a lovely little garden. It was the first time in years that I have had a private garden to explore and relax in – quite a treat when you’re housebound and severely ill! Last year we didn’t do much in the garden, the family focused ​their time and energy on the inside of the house and I focused on recovering from the move and the disability…

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Title reads My chronic illness Story, How it all started and how you can help, by Chronically Hopeful, Picture of Char lying in bed under blankets, shes in an ME flare wearing sunglasses and headphones

My Chronic Illness Story: How I Became Housebound With Severe M.E.

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​May is ME Awareness Month and once again I am participating in the ​virtual campaigns online to help raise awareness of this life-destroying illness called Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. Today I’m sharing my story. How did I become so terribly ill and housebound? When did it happen? And how long did I have to wait for a diagnosis? Here’s my ME story: I had a very busy and active life, teaching, going to church and Bible studies, tutoring and babysitting after hours…

Read MoreMy Chronic Illness Story: How I Became Housebound With Severe M.E.
10 Important Life Lessons learned from Chronic Illness, by Chronically Hopeful. A woman sits by the window, gazing out while holding a cup of tea. She has shoulder length hair and is smiling contemplatively.

10 Important Life Lessons I Learned From Chronic Illness

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Last year was a tough one for many of us, but looking back I ​realised that I have learned many important lessons which make me stronger and ​better equipped for the year ahead. So although 2018 was a year of very high highs and very low lows​, there were many ​lessons scattered among both the trials and the triumphs. ​This is the way life goes – it is never linear and it’s always changing – but we can always look…

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A pile of boxes stacked up next to a radiator. Title reads Moving to a new house, plus 12 tips to make moving easier

Moving To A New House – Plus 12 Ways To Make Moving Easier If You’re Chronically Ill

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This summer was a season of great change for our family. After little more than a year in our flat, my dad had found us a lovely big house with a garden and we were packing again. Moving house can be quite stressful for the healthiest of people, so it can really be a nightmare for somebody with a severe chronic illness like ME. We actually loved our flat, it was enough for my sister and I, it ticked most…

Read MoreMoving To A New House – Plus 12 Ways To Make Moving Easier If You’re Chronically Ill
Coal Tits First visitors at Bird Feeder, Breakfast With Birds, ChronicallyHopeful

Coal Tits – The First Brave Visitors At Our Bird Feeder

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After moving to our new house last week, we hung our first bird feeder out on Monday and waited (im)patiently for the birds to come eat, but they didn’t. No birds to be seen at all. We were disappointed, but I knew that they would come – they just had to discover the spread first. Photo By @domlimphoto After days of silence and stillness in the garden, on Wednesday morning, a brave little birdie came hopping along the fence to…

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Photo of hundreds of empty pairs of shoes in a town square representing th millions of ME/cfs patients missing from society. Title reads, How you can help the Millions Missing, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis awareness and advocacy,by Chronically Hopeful

Advocacy And Fundraising Ideas And Resources

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We in the ME community are so grateful that you are interested in supporting our cause. Thank you! I hope that the information on this page will inspire you to action, giving you ideas and resources to help you help us. We need all the help from healthy allies that we can get! The quickest way to support our cause is to donate towards advocacy campaigns or research. For a list of global organisations which you can support, click here.…

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a field of forget-me-not flowers

ME/CFS Awareness Pictures To Share, Part 5

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Every Wednesday the ME community comes together on Twitter to raise awareness of this debilitating chronic illness. We share recent media coverage, research news, our personal experiences and more. Making new connections and supporting each other. I often join in and share various ME awareness pictures during that hour. ​Below you will find the graphics I shared during the last ME Awareness Hour. I hope this will help you understand what life is like with ME If you have learned…

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ME Awareness Hour

ME/CFS Awareness, 10 Jan 2018

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Sandwiched between 2 hot water bottles, under layers of clothes and blankets, medicated – multiple times, in the dark with sunglasses on, my phone’s screen dimmed and the blue light filter on so that I can bear looking at it for a few minutes at a time. This was me yesterday after I had a nap on the sofa where I toppled over after lunch, in a bundle of pain and tears as the previous night’s insomnia caught up with…

Read MoreME/CFS Awareness, 10 Jan 2018
First outing in 5 months BLOG

My First Outing in 5 Months

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I am so happy to have visited the beautiful Lake District this holiday! As anybody with a chronic illness can tell you, holidays are a stressful time that we often dread. With many more people around, an increase in noise, activity and an abundant selection of unhealthy food choices, it is inevitable that we will experience an increase in unpleasant symptoms and will at some point need to isolate ourselves in order to rest and recover. I am fortunate to…

Read MoreMy First Outing in 5 Months
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Feet in a bath tub, water moving. Title reads Shakes and Tremors with ME/CFS. Myalgic Encephalomyeitis causes visible body tremors.
Shaking And Trembling With ME/CFS
Char's bare leg full of itchy bumps. Title reads: How I'm managing histamine intolerance. Eliminating the itching, rashes and hives.
Histamine Intolerance: Reducing The Itching, Rashes And Hives
Woman with her hands in her hair, she looks frustrated. Title reads: Our house is infested with teeny, tiny white bugs. TIny mites that look like specks of dust moving around.
What Are These Teeny, Tiny White Bugs All Over My House And How To Get Rid Of These Little Mites?
A lady with bed head, looking exhausted. Tital reads, Are you a chargie or a spoonie? Both analogies for chronic exhaustion explained.
Are You an Unchargeable or a Spoonie?