Celebrating One Year of Chronic Positivity

As of today, September 10th, Chronic Positivity has been around for one year. It’s kind of hard to believe that it hasn’t always existed, but I know for a fact that one year ago, I felt much more lonely than I do now. I felt isolated from anyone else who could understand what I was going through with my chronic illness, and it was that isolation that led me to create a Twitter account and then an Instagram.

The story goes like this: I was laying in bed at two or three a.m., feeling lonely and frustrated with the negativity on my Twitter feed. I knew there were positive social media accounts out there, but they all seemed broad, geared toward mental health in general. I wondered if there was anyone out there posting positive content geared specifically toward those with chronic illness. A lot of those accounts do exist, and I know that now (and I’m proud to call some of them friends!). But in the moment I thought that I needed to do it myself, so I impulsively made a Twitter account, calling it Chronic Positivity. I was thinking I could just send out little tweets into the universe — if they weren’t read by anyone else, at least they could help me. A week or two later, I made the Instagram, something I felt anxious about doing and wasn’t sure if I could keep up with. Ironically, it’s the Instagram that’s succeeded the most, and I don’t know what I would do without it. It’s that small collection of choices that has given me a community, connected me with so many people that I now consider friends, and restored a purpose to my life.

I can’t overstate how little I expected Chronic Positivity to become what it has. I had no idea one year ago that the Instagram would take off, much less have 9,000 wonderful followers that I am able to engage with on a daily basis. I had no idea that I would be able to create a website and then a sticker shop. I am not an entrepreneur by any means, so this development has surprised no one more than myself. I sit here on this anniversary, one year after, and I am baffled and grateful.

I want to thank you, most of all, for welcoming me into a community. For helping me create Chronic Positivity into what it is. I know a lot of people say this, but I truly mean it when I say that this would not exist without you. Every time you comment on a post, like it, or send me a message, you show me that there is a reason for me to keep showing up every day. Not only that, but you remind me that I have a purpose. I am grateful to be able to use my voice, to know that I matter. The ironic thing about Chronic Positivity is that I started it to remind people with chronic illness of their worth, but what I didn’t realize was that I needed to know my own worth, too. I never want my posts to come across like they’re from someone who has it all together, because that could not be further from the truth. I need to hear these posts just as much as anyone else, and Chronic Positivity has been such a healing journey for me. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for being here and making that possible.

In celebration of one year, every sticker in my shop is $2 or less! Please feel free to check that out and treat yourself to some hopeful reminders for your laptop or water bottle. And as always I love hearing from you, so please feel free to reach out via my email or social media links and introduce yourself if you haven’t already.

With love,

— Sky 🌱