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Personal Development

A collection of articles on personal development and self-improvement, especially for those who live with chronic illness or disability.

Personal Development ⸱ Sheryl Chan

Book Recommendations for Spoonies: Part II

Welcome to the Second Edition of Book Recommendations for Spoonies! Just like the first roundup of book recommendations for spoonies, these are all books written by people with illnesses themselves, or revolve around related topics. They're suitable even if you're a healthy person with no medical
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Chronic Illness ⸱ Sheryl Chan

Finding Your Self Behind the Illness (Your Story Isn't Over Yet)

An Introduction to Callie, and Finding Your Self Again Despite Chronic Illness I'm excited to have Callie on the blog today, as she shares some thoughts about self-identity, both from the perspective of a patient and also as a psychologist. She talks about the emotions many of us
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Personal Development ⸱ Sheryl Chan

I Have No Purpose in Life, and Therein Lies My Life Purpose

A Question for All Eternity: "What is My Life Purpose?" It's a timeless, eternal question that has plagued or intrigued humanity since the beginning of time. It is a thought that can be disturbing to me especially when I’m in the throes of extreme pain.
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Personal Development ⸱ Sheryl Chan

The Stories We Tell Ourselves: Prisons or Paths to Freedom

An Introduction to Rose Roberts & How the Stories We Tell Ourselves Matter Rose does a beautiful job articulating the struggles with self-worth and self-trust that many of us with chronic illness experience. Society has many preconceived, rigid notions of how a person should and shouldn't be, which
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Diary Entries ⸱ Sheryl Chan

June 2018: Self-Reminder on Listening to Your Body

*Note: This article was originally written for my monthly linkups, which I've archived as it was taking too much out of me. However, I've kept most of the posts written as I realise it's much like a diary with memories that make me nostalgic
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Personal Development ⸱ Sheryl Chan

Flowers are the Most Beautiful When They're Just About to Die (and What That's Got to Do with Being a Spoonie)

A Random Thought That Drifted to Chronic Illness During a Floral Workshop Recently, I attended a floral workshop as part of a good friend’s hen’s party. Such classes aren’t that cheap, so in a way I was glad to finally have an ‘excuse’ to go for one
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Personal Development ⸱ Sheryl Chan

You Don't Have to be Strong, Just a Little Stronger Than Before

When Inspiration Becomes the Standard We often tell ourselves or others to ‘be strong’ or to ‘be brave’. Instead of instilling inspiration, these statements can sometimes provoke the opposite effect. It becomes another standard we have to meet, and triggers more ripples of fear. But the fact is, you don’
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Chronic Illness ⸱ Sheryl Chan

I May be Chronically Ill, but I'm Also Chronically Resilient

An Introduction to Angela & on Staying Chronically Resilient Angela and I met at a party through our ex-boyfriends (talk about how life goes 😉), but I never knew that she suffered from chronic illness, too. She was living overseas – which can be especially tough for a person with chronic illness!
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Books & Magazines ⸱ Sheryl Chan

Book Recommendations for Spoonies (but You're All Invited, Too!)

Book Recommendations for Spoonies (People with Chronic Illnesses), but Suitable for All Hello and welcome to the first in a series of book roundups, curated with spoonies in mind! They’re all written by people with various illnesses themselves, or with content that is relevant to our way of life.
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Relationships ⸱ Sheryl Chan

4 Cool Truths My Partner Said (Unwittingly)

Cool Truths My Partner Said in the Most Casual of Tones Have you ever had that lightning bolt moment where an offhand statement made by someone else knocked you off your feet? A statement so simple, yet powerful enough to make you stop, blink and think. Here are some of
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Chronic Illness ⸱ Sheryl Chan

Chronic Illness is Unpredictable, but You Don't Always Have to Fear the Unknown

Do You Have a Plan for the Future? Can You Even Have One When Chronic Illness is Unpredictable? What’s your plan for retirement? Does nothing concrete come to mind? What about in 10 years, or maybe just five? What about tomorrow, or this evening? I admit to drawing a
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Chronic Illness ⸱ Sheryl Chan

Life with Chronic Illness: Happiness and Pain Can Coexist

Aren't Happiness and Pain Contradictory Feelings? When we imagine someone in pain, I doubt we attribute happiness as one of the feelings that could possibly exist in either their heart or mind. Afterall, shouldn't a happy life be void of suffering of any kind? For people
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