Dear Diary,
It’s Sunday.
That strange little space between I survived last week and here comes another one.
And before I start borrowing stress from Monday, I need to give Sunday—and myself—the respect we deserve.
Because Monday will come soon enough with its emails, appointments, responsibilities, alarms, expectations, and whatever foolishness my two roommates—Crohn’s and MG—decide to add to the itinerary.
But today?
Today I want to remember something:
I made it through last week.
Maybe not gracefully.
Maybe not without frustration.
Maybe not without exhaustion, tears, pain, bathroom runs, shortness of breath, or moments when I wondered how much more my body expected me to handle.
But I made it.
And sometimes, making it is enough.
💜 Some Battles Don’t Leave Bruises
One of the hardest parts about living with chronic illness is that so much of the battle happens where nobody can see it.
People see me working.
They see me laughing.
They see pictures, vacations, family moments, cute outfits, trips to Disney, dinners with friends, and the parts of my life I choose to share.
What they don’t always see is the calculation happening behind all of it.
How much energy do I have?
How far do I have to walk?
Where is the bathroom?
Can I breathe today?
Are my muscles getting tired?
Is this regular tired or MG tired?
Is my stomach about to start acting up?
Do I have enough spoons for this AND whatever comes afterward?
Living with invisible illness means sometimes looking perfectly fine while your body is having an entirely different conversation.
And sometimes the person who needs to remember that most…
is me.
🌻 I Don’t Have to Earn Rest
I’m still learning this one.
Rest doesn’t have to be something I earn after completely exhausting myself.
I don’t have to wait until my body forces me to stop.
I don’t have to justify needing a slower day simply because yesterday was a good one.
And I definitely don’t need to compare what I accomplished today with what I could accomplish before chronic illness changed the rules.
Rest isn’t a reward for running myself into the ground. With chronic illness, sometimes rest is part of the work.
That is a lesson I’m still learning because my mind often has plans my body never agreed to. 😂
My body has carried me through Crohn’s.
It has carried me through MG.
It has carried me through treatments, procedures, flares, weakness, breathing problems, fatigue, and more medical appointments than anybody should have on their social calendar.
And somehow, this body and I are still here.
We may argue occasionally.
Okay…
Frequently. 😂
But we’re still here.
And maybe instead of spending so much time being frustrated by what my body cannot do anymore, I can spend a little more time appreciating everything it continues to do for me.
💜 “Sunday doesn’t have to become Monday’s waiting room.”
🌻 Tomorrow Can Wait Until Tomorrow
There is always something waiting.
Another appointment.
Another insurance battle.
Another treatment.
Another symptom to Google and then immediately regret Googling.
Another responsibility.
Another Monday.
But Sunday doesn’t have to become Monday’s waiting room.
Today can simply be today.
I can rest without worrying about everything waiting for me tomorrow.
I can enjoy the quiet without mentally writing Monday’s to-do list.
I can stop borrowing stress from a day that hasn’t even arrived yet.
Because whatever this new week brings, I don’t have to conquer the entire thing at once.
I only have to handle the moment I’m standing in.
One day.
One moment.
One breath at a time.
And considering MG and I occasionally disagree about that last one, I mean one breath at a time quite literally. 😂💜
🎵 Music Playing…
“Rainbow” — Kacey Musgraves
Because not every reminder of resilience needs to sound like a battle cry.
Sometimes resilience is quiet.
Sometimes it’s getting up again.
Sometimes it’s adjusting the plan.
Sometimes it’s canceling the plan.
Sometimes it’s resting without apologizing.
Sometimes it’s laughing at circumstances that absolutely were not written as comedy.
And sometimes resilience is simply looking back at everything you survived and realizing:
I’m still here.
💭 Reflection Corner
Maybe that’s what I want to carry into this week—not the pressure to prove how strong I am, but the permission to meet myself exactly where I am.
I don’t know what this week will bring.
There may be good days.
There may be hard days.
There may be days when I accomplish everything on my list and days when simply getting through the day is the accomplishment.
All of those days count.
So tonight, I’m not going to stand at the edge of a new week worrying about seven days that haven’t happened yet.
I’m going to be proud of the woman who made it through the seven that just did.
Tomorrow will get its turn.
Tonight, I rest.
💜🌻
What is one thing you’re giving yourself permission to leave behind before this new week begins?
🌻 Until Next Time…
I don’t need to have the strength for the entire week tonight.
I only need enough grace for this moment.
Enough patience for this body.
Enough humor for these two roommates.
And enough faith to believe I’ll figure out tomorrow when tomorrow gets here.
So for now, I’m closing out this week exactly where I am—still learning, still adapting, still laughing, still living.
And most importantly…
Still here.
With love, laughter, and a few spoons saved for tomorrow, 💜🌻
Kia Lorice
Founder • Author • Advocate • Future Wellness Coach
The Dual Diagnosis Diaries
Leave a Reply