05/12/2026
In honor of International Fibromyalgia Awareness Day and Mental Health Awareness Month, I’m sharing why I have recently made changes in my practice, and lessons chronic illness and mental health challenges have taught me about pacing, sustainability, and healing.
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For years, I believed pushing through exhaustion, pain, stress, and running on caffeine and adrenaline was strength. I kept late evenings, overextending, and giving from an empty cup because I care deeply about the work I do and the care I provide. But I realized that constantly overriding my body came at a cost. This has taught me: healing doesn’t necessarily align with endless productivity and the grind culture we live in.
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One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned about has been pacing. Pacing means respecting your limits, resting without guilt, and stopping when you still feel okay. It’s doing 20 minutes of chores and then lying down with a heating pad before doing another 20 minutes later. It’s doing a 12-20 minute workout instead of pushing for 45 minutes to an hour or longer. It is learning to work with your body instead of against it. For me, it has meant changing my schedule, limiting appointment slots, and even referring dear patients to trusted colleagues because I know they will receive excellent care. A huge part of pacing is nervous system regulation, which is also a goal of every acupuncture treatment I give—known in Chinese Medicine as “calming the shen,” or supporting/treating the spirit/heart-mind.
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As a practitioner, these changes have been humbling. Caring for others while learning how to care for yourself is complicated and vulnerable. Invisible illness often asks people to become experts at masking, adapting, and surviving quietly, even while carrying pain, grief, guilt, exhaustion, and heartbreak. But, boundaries mean you care. For May 12, I’m sharing for anyone navigating chronic illness, burnout, pain, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and/or exhaustion: you are allowed to slow down, rest, and honor your body. Your worth is not measured by how much you can push through.
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