The holidays are coming, and if you’re already dreading the conversations, the obligations, and the pressure to show up like nothing is wrong, this one’s for you. Setting boundaries when you have a chronic illness isn’t selfish, it’s survival. It’s knowing that saying yes to everything means your body will eventually say no for you, and usually at the worst possible time. It’s understanding that the dinner you pushed through last year cost you three days in bed, and deciding that this year you’re going to do it differently. That might mean leaving early without apologizing for it. It might mean skipping the event altogether and not letting guilt eat you alive about it. It might mean telling your family that you love them, but you’re not traveling this year because the recovery isn’t worth it. It might mean sitting down while everyone else is standing in the kitchen, and letting that be okay without explaining yourself for the hundredth time. And then there are the boundaries that aren’t about your body at all. The ones where you have to tell people to stop asking if you’ve tried this supplement their neighbor swears by, to stop commenting on what you’re eating or not eating, and to stop looking at you like something is wrong every time you’re quiet. Those boundaries matter just as much, and they’re usually the hardest ones to set because they involve the people closest to you. You’re allowed to protect your energy the same way you protect your health, because they’re the same thing. The people who love you will understand, and the ones who don’t were never really respecting your limits in the first place. #WeAreILLMatic #BoundariesAreHealthcare #ChronicIllnessCommunity #BlackWomenWellness #ProtectYourEnergy