Living with Hashimoto's & Lupus: How I Learned to Prioritize Rest & Avoid Burnout

I’ve had Hashimoto’s since 2008 and lupus since 2012. Fortunately, I was in remission soon after each diagnosis after levothyroxine and plaquenil kicked in.

I came out of remission during the pandemic. I remember how painful and exhausting it was just to walk from my bed to the bathroom. I remember I couldn’t even bend forward from the couch to pick up a glass of water from the table. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t move. I developed sores on my nose, fingers, and toes.

I lost 10+ pounds from loss of appetite. I lost the most hair I’ve ever lost. I wasn’t usually one to care about “hair”, but this was the most self-conscious and unpretty I felt from the hair loss.

Now, looking back on this period, my mind, body, and spirit was just done.

I was done forcing myself to do things I didn’t want to do. I was done stressing about things outside of my control. I was done continuing on in a way that constantly led to burnout.

Lugging yoga props between Walnut Creek, Oakland, and SF as a private yoga instructor led to exhaustion. Seeing video footage of the murders of Black people and violence against Asians over and over led to what I know now as depression. Being stuck with just my then-partner (now husband) in our apartment led to feelings of isolation.

This was not sustainable. And my body forced me to realize it by coming out of remission.

I’m a week before my monthly infusion and I’m tired. Past me would just force myself to do all the things and “push through”, but I’m evolved now 🧜🏼‍♀️

What I learned from my experience of having SLE and Hashimoto’s is:

❤️‍🩹 If I’m tired, take a break and rest!! If I need a nap, take a nap. Prioritize my rest.

❤️‍🩹 If I cannot make it to work, call in sick.

❤️‍🩹 If I need to cancel on some plans, cancel. Remember my people will always understand.

❤️‍🩹 Ask for help. And don’t feel bad about it, stop feeling like a burden.

❤️‍🩹 If I don’t know how to ask for help, express what I’m feeling to my husband. Even if it’s messy. Start it with, “I’m going to be messy and imperfect. I’m going to share freely.” Because perfecting what I’m going to say takes effort. And I ain’t got effort to give sometimes.

⬆️ Practice all of the above guilt-free!

My chronic illness folks, what would you add to this? Please share even if it’s something “small”. Sometimes the simplest things are what we forget.