I want to share something with you that has genuinely helped me on the days when my body feels like it’s made of lead and my brain is running on 2% battery, and when the idea of “being creative” feels a little insulting because I can barely get through the basics. It’s a journal technique I developed called Expressive Doodles. And it started as a very simple idea: what if I stopped trying to make journaling look neat, or put pressure on myself to journal for long periods of t

Before chronic illness became part of my story, I was a doer who could push through anything to get things done and be productive. I liked checking things off my to-do list. I like having the energy to create whenever inspiration struck, even if that was 3 a.m. These days, things look a little different. Living with chronic illness has taught me that energy isn’t something I can always count on. Some mornings I wake up feeling ready to tackle projects and spend hours in the s