The Spoonie Diaries : ME & Fibromyalgia with Ali Hemsley

I am so excited to introduce to you Ali Hemsley; an advocate for ME & Fibromyalgia and showing that you can still be badass with a chronic illness.

I’ve been following Ali on Instagram for YEARS and she’s a constant inspiration to me. Her posts on chronic illness are raw and honest and you realise you’re not in this chronic illness fight alone. She also has amazing style, shows you can still be active and need walking aids and that your capabilities can change every day – AND THAT’S OKAY!

Ali Hemsley : finding balance with a chronic illness

What was your initial reaction to hearing your diagnosis?

Confused. I wasn’t provided with much information about how to manage it, or what it meant for me and my life going forward.

How much did you know about your chronic illness before you were diagnosed? What was your initial reaction?

Very little – if anything! I remember coming home and searching on Google about it. I felt really disheartened and confused, as I didn’t quite understand what it meant.

What is one thing you’ve learnt from being chronically ill?

I am much braver than I think I am!

How did you make the decision to openly discuss your diagnosis and journey being chronically ill? Was it an easy decision to make?

It wasn’t until I started to feel like I was ‘in control’ of my chronic illnesses that I started to be more open about them.

For the first 5 or 6 years, I tried to pretend I wasn’t ill and I ended up working against my body – rather than with it.

It wasn’t an easy decision sharing more about my journey and my health but I felt proud of what I was achieving and wanted to try to provide some positivity and hope to others who had been in the same position as I had.

How has being chronically ill affected your life? Have you made major changes?

My life is very different from what I expected. I studied Bsc Economics at University and achieved one of the most prestigious and coveted placements, at Goldman Sachs.

Due to my health, I realised that the expectations of that type of workplace were not something I was able to meet whilst suffering from my chronic illness.

I’m also not as active as I’d like to be. My pace of life is much slower, but I try to focus on using pacing to be able to still do some of the things I’d like to!

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who has been newly diagnosed, what would you tell them?

It’s okay to grieve your past life, but you also need to move on from it.

(I’ve actually written a whole blog post on this which you can read here)

Do you think your physical health has impacted your mental health? Have you ever sought help for it and do you have any coping mechanisms?

Very much so.

I’ve experienced depression and anxiety partly due to my chronic illness. I believe that talking is one of the greatest coping mechanisms possible.

And self-acceptance!! I’ve been on many types of antidepressants and they didn’t work for me – so seeking help through counselling and CBT was a great option instead.

What do you wish your friends and family knew/understood about your illness/disability?

When I say “I’m okay”, I actually mean “I’m still in large amounts of pain, and really fatigued. This is just my new normal.”

Finally, what does chronically living mean to you? Do you have any advice for readers going through similar things?

To me, chronically living means to be able to enjoy life and focus on the positives, no matter what we’re going through.

It’s okay to have down days, but they don’t have to always be our focus and constant.

To everyone that’s going through similar things, surround yourself with positive people and those who make you feel strong, happy and valued.

A massive thank you to Ali for being part of the Spoonie Diaries. You can find her on instagram here.

If you want to be featured in The Spoonie Diaries, email me at hello@ktmv.co.uk with the subject Spoonie Diaries.