To Share or Not To Share?

Although I haven't yet officially committed to the WEGO Health Blogger challenge to blog each and every day during the month of November, I found myself intrigued by many of their prompts including the "disclosure post": how I decide what I do share and what I don't share with my readers.

The answer is simple: I share everything. Everything I've learned, observed, experienced throughout my journey with dysautonomia. Anything and everything that may possibly help my readers gain insight into their own health crises. I feel it is my job to help fellow sufferers in any way I am able.

My personal philosophy (and my nature) is to be highly self-disclosive. Possibly too self-disclosive at times. I lay it all out there. The good, the bad, the ugly. Having a chronic illness is anything but pretty and I am not so good at sugar-coating things. So again, I share it all. Sure, you personally may have no interest in reading about my persistent acid reflux or no desire to read me ramble on about the inherent injustices of invisible illnesses, but someone might. Some reader out there in the world may identify with something I have written. They may feel the same way I have. Or experienced a similar struggle themselves. And if I can help even one person feel a little less alone, then my efforts were not wasted.

When I began blogging, I didn't anticipate having so many readers, or any at all for that matter. I started this blog as a way to cope. To get my frantic, troubled thoughts out of my head. The act of writing has proven to be therapeutic for me. I feel much better after getting all the crap off my chest. But now that I have been blogging for a little while, Defying Gravity has evolved into a more well-rounded blog complete with fun stuff like giveaways, guest bloggers, product reviews and pop culture recommendations. Over time I would like to start sharing recipes, how to's and maybe even vlogs. But for now I am proud of myself for simply managing to post on a consistent basis and hope to continue blogging everything I can in the future.