HAWMC: I made it!

Friday 1st May: You did it!

You’ve crossed the #HAWMC finish line. Recap the past month for us.  What did you enjoy, what didn’t you enjoy?  Favourite prompt?

Well, I have come to the end of the road of this year’s Health Activist Writing Month Challenge.

As in previous years, it has been a challenge.  After receiving the prompts, there was a moment of mild panic, wondering how on earth I was going to write meaningful and relatable blog posts that people will want to read, be able to relate to, as well as writing something original especially as some posts were from previous years.  Have I done this?  I am not sure, only the readers can answer that question!

I needn’t have worried, however, once I got started, the words just came out on paper, like it was an involuntary response.  Some days I could not even stop writing and desperately tried to shorten my posts!  I rediscovered a passion for writing, which illness had taken away recently due to the worsening of some of the symptoms I experience daily.

Writing during this challenge, however, has provided respite from the debilitating symptoms; an outlet for everything that I have experienced and feeling as a person living with chronic illness.  I hope that through writing, I can be an advocate for those also living with neurological conditions and highlight the impact that these can have on those living with them.
Some of the prompts were more challenging than others and often struggled with the appropriate way to tackle the question.  I felt a deep sense of accomplishment and pride when completing those challenging prompts, and was just one of the many achievements that happened during this year’s HAWMC.

Other milestones included publishing my 300th post, and an increase of traffic and likes on my blog, which is a real validation of the work that I have done.  But again, one of my favourite aspect of this annual writing challenge is reading the entries from the other participants in the writing challenge.  To learn about other conditions other than my own, and the impact that they have on the lives of the writers.  It is interesting to hear other perspectives on what it is like to live with a chronic illness, and furthermore, it is always a surprise on the similarities in our lives with chronic illnesses despite being diagnosed with very different conditions.
The only disappointment of the challenge was not being able to complete one of the posts.

I was experiencing a very bad day and was therefore unable to write anything.

Instead, I shared the post that I had written the previous year, but at the time I felt like I had failed in the challenge.  But the support I had from fellow participants and readers of my blog, made me see that I had not failed and needed the day to recuperate and reset my body.  It made me see the importance of self-care and the need of rest when we are not feeling our best.  To put ourselves before other commitments.

I would not say there were any prompts that I didn’t like; I really enjoyed them all, particularly writing about the positive impact that my dog Honey has had on my life.  Which of this month’s posts have you had enjoyed reading?

As ever I would really love your comments and thoughts on this year’s HAWMC!

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