Kristin M. Coppens

[NEW BLOG POST] Sista, Sistas! #autoimmunesisters

It’s fitting that I follow my last post with this one as I talk about finding the middle ground of autoimmune treatments and autoimmune communities. As we talk about the importance of staying away from the radical extremes from either end of the spectrum – it’s important to find a tribe, a treatment, a community, an outlet, whatever it might be for you that regularly celebrates that middle…

[NEW BLOG POST] Simplifying Guilt

Originally posted on Autoimmune Sisters – reposted here for sharing. Learn more about Autoimmune Sisters here.

As I thought about the topic of “Simplify,” and how to ultimately live a more simple existence, I was immediately brought back to the first few years of my autoimmune life. Not that I don’t continue to work on this every day, but my initial few years were full of so much growth and…

[NEW BLOG POST] "You Still Look So Pretty" #bodypositivity #bodyimage #newblogpost

I’ve been thinking about writing a post like this for months — maybe for over a year, if I’m honest. But if I’m an open book on pretty much everything in my life, my own personal body image and situation equates to that book’s smallest font-size footnote written in some lost language of the world; in other words, I never talk about it.

My Juxtaposition

In my head, I fight between two…

[NEW BLOG POST] "When The Toxic In Your Life Isn't A Chemical"

There’s something to be said about leaning into myself as an adult and actually, finally, doing what is best for me and what is healthy for my soul. When we’re growing up, we don’t get much of a choice of who is in our lives, what they say to you, how they treat you, the type of energy you accept into your realm of existence and how much or how little toxicity is in all of that. Toxic doesn’t…

[NEW BLOG POST] Sista, Sistas! #autoimmunesisters

It’s fitting that I follow my last postwith this one as I talk about finding the middle ground of autoimmune treatments and autoimmune communities. As we talk about the importance of staying away from the radical extremes from either end of the spectrum, it’s important to find a tribe, a treatment, a community, an outlet, whatever it might be for you that regularly celebrates that middle ground,…

[NEW BLOG POST] "The Fad of This 4-Letter Word" #chronicillness #chroniclife #chronicallykristin #newpost

It’s probably not the one you’re thinking of, I promise. What I want to talk about is what a lot of people both get sucked into and have probably also noticed about the chronic illness community if you’ve spent any time around the online community. But first, it’s so important for me to put a heavy disclaimer on this post and on my thoughts and opinions around it.

*Disclaimer: This does not…

[New Blog Post] A love/hate letter to Pain... #chronicillness #chronicallykristin #autoimmunesisters

I could start out this letter to you by just throwing a couple middle fingers in the air and saying “f*&k you.” I could do that, and on a superficial level, I probably would do that as a first step. In fact, for a long time that’s really all I wanted to say to you – and some days, it’s still all I want to say to you. But overall, there’s a lot more.

You have been something I’ve felt both…

[New Post!] “Dear Pain...”

I could start out this letter to you by just throwing a couple middle fingers in the air and saying “f*&k you.” I could do that, and on a superficial level, I probably would do that as a first step. In fact, for a long time that’s really all I wanted to say to you – and some days, it’s still all I want to say to you. But overall, there’s a lot more.

You have been something I’ve felt both…

[NEW POST] “A Throwback Get To Know Me”

As I was sitting here brainstorming some more upcoming blog content and topics, I had some serious nostalgia vibes for my old LiveJournal days! I’ve tried to find mine so many times. LOL — I used to do these “surveys” all the time there in middle school where it would ask you a bunch of random get to know you questions. I’ve always loved answering those, and I’ve loved reading them about others!…

[NEW POST] Real Talk: The “Coron-Anxiety”

Let’s all take a second to recognize the difficulty that is COVID-19. I don’t know who needs to hear this right now – but it’s okay to not be okay with the state of things – hell, the state of the world. It’s not something I thought I would really ever feel – but even being an introvert doesn’t protect you from COVID-19 wearing on you and making you crave society and human interaction. I am the…

[NEW POST]: The Autoimmune Protocol #aip #autoimmune #autoimmuneprotocol

Hi friends, welcome back! It only took me 2 months of lockdown to use this time wisely for updating my blog on a regular basis – more on that in another post. For now, I want to talk a little bit about what I know about the autoimmune protocol diet, and most of all, I want to know what you know!

*Heavy Disclaimer Here:While I respect what the AIP diet has or has not done for you (and I’m…

You know, normally I am pretty mellow and laid back about all of my health issues. After 8 years, I pretty much take everything in stride and I don’t spend a ton of time dwelling on the day to day symptoms or impact. However, sometimes I’m flat out not given much of a choice.

Here’s an update for you that is a tad more serious and involved than most of my other health updates for the past…

Throughout the years of being diagnosed with numerous autoimmune/chronic diseases, I’ve learned that it can be a complete mind-fuck. Sorry for the bluntness, but it’s really the only way to describe it. What you think is good news is bad news; what should be soul-crushing is a relief; Up is down and left is right and under is over.

They don’t tell you this when you first get initiated into…