July 02, 2017

Exciting times ahead (and the future of Road to Zest)

July 02, 2017/ Johanna Galea

As I published my recent blog post, Dermot and I knew some (or most) of you would understand what I was referring to when I said that the path to reaching one of our long-term goals will be slightly different from the way we initially thought it would be but that we’re so excited that we are eventually going to get there. I’d love to eventually be able to show anyone on similar journeys that they’re not alone. But as exciting as our next steps are, with everything that’s going on, I’ve decided that rather than continuing to publish a blog post every Sunday, I will post as and when the time feels right. Here’s why.

June 18, 2017

How to be a little bit kinder to yourself

June 18, 2017/ Johanna Galea

As I was recovering after being chronically ill, I realised that in general I really wasn’t kind enough to myself. I tend to be my own worst critic and I’m usually quite hard on myself. I think so many of us are compassionate towards others but not as much to ourselves. Which is wrong. Why shouldn’t we be a little bit gentler with ourselves too? Especially when we’ve got a lot going on. So here’s some advice on how to be a little bit kinder to yourself.

Photo by Sean Mallia

June 11, 2017

Some advice for those days when things seem to be falling apart

June 11, 2017/ Johanna Galea

A year ago Dermot and I were in Italy for our first holiday in a very long time. And in that moment it really felt like everything was falling into place. But we actually received some difficult news about 6 months later which made it feel as though one long-term goal would never materialise after all. I can’t deny that for some time I felt crushed. But now things seem to be falling into place again. The path to reaching this goal might turn out to be slightly different from the way we initially thought we would get there. But the beauty is that we’re going to get there and we’re so excited about it. And here’s some advice for those days when things seem to be falling apart.

May 21, 2017

My reflections as Road to Zest turns 1

May 21, 2017/ Johanna Galea

Road to Zest turns 1 this weekend. So today I’d really like to thank you for joining me on my journey this year and for your support always. A year ago as I published my first blog post I had no idea what to expect, but I remember thinking that if I could give just one person hope that he/she could recover the way I did, it would make it all worthwhile.So a year later it feels really amazing to have spoken to quite a few people who have started or are planning to start or considering starting DNRS after reading about my recovery. And here’s a look back at the 10 most popular posts this year and why I need your help for the coming year.

April 30, 2017

A look at one of the defining moments in my recovery journey: one year on

April 30, 2017/ Johanna Galea

Corinne’s first wedding anniversary last week reminded me how amazing it was that I got to be at her wedding from start to finish last year. Something which had seemed beyond impossible before starting DNRS 3 months earlier, when I was housebound due to multiple chemical sensitivity and chronic fatigue syndrome. So I thought it would be nice to look back on what I had written a year ago (before I started this blog) to show anyone who’s just getting started in their DNRS journey or anyone who’s thinking about starting DNRS what could be possible for them. So here’s what I wrote just before and just after the wedding.

Photo by Matthew Mirabelli Photography

April 23, 2017

How did I suddenly become able to eat only 8 foods in 2015?

April 23, 2017/ Johanna Galea

A friend recently told me that someone asked her how it’s possible for a person to become able to eat only a handful of foods. And I can totally see where that question’s coming from. Because now that I can eat anything again, even I find it hard to believe that there was a point when I could only eat 8 foods. But having learned about the brain’s ability to adapt and change itself – both for the better or for the worse – how I suddenly became able to eat only 8 foods actually makes “perfect sense”. Here’s how it happened.

April 16, 2017

How being chronically ill taught me to really live in the moment

April 16, 2017/ Johanna Galea

I was out for a run in Bournemouth a couple of weeks ago and as the sun was rising, the scene was so beautiful that I kept stopping to take photos. I kept promising myself that each photo would be the last and that then I would get on with my run. But I just couldn’t do it. And I laughed at myself for stopping so many times. But I also laughed a bit at my old self: the person who wouldn’t have allowed herself to stop. Who would have wanted the run to be so “perfect” that she would hardly even have noticed the beauty of the sun and the sea. And so in a strange way I’m grateful for having been chronically ill. Because it really taught me how to slow down – or even stop – and be in the moment and enjoy the beauty around me. Here’s how things changed for me and how you too can start to really live in the moment.

April 09, 2017

My experience at the life-changing DNRS seminar in the UK

April 09, 2017/ Johanna Galea

I was at the DNRS seminar in the UK two weeks ago when 16 people who had collectively been suffering from debilitating and poorly understood chronic illnesses for a total of 280 years started to believe and understand that recovery is actually possible after all. It might sound too good to be true – but I remember so clearly when it happened to me too. I had accepted the reality of my chronic illness and had stopped dreaming before DNRS. So the fact that I can now travel again with ease and actually get to be at the DNRS seminar as a coach is beyond anything I could ever have dreamt of. And here’s what being at this life-changing seminar meant to me and what it could mean to anyone suffering from a mysterious, chronic illness.

April 02, 2017

15 quotes for some extra motivation when the going gets tough

April 02, 2017/ Johanna Galea

Being in London for a short holiday with my parents really reminds me how lucky I am to have been given a second chance at life. But things weren’t – and still aren’t – always easy because sometimes life just happens, as it does for all of us. So here’s a collection of 15 quotes which always help to motivate me when the going gets tough.

March 26, 2017

Open letter to a survivor

March 26, 2017/ Johanna Galea

Here's my letter to anyone who has faced a major setback and bounced back. To anyone who can smile despite everything they’ve been through. To anyone who makes the best out of a tough journey. To anyone who can appreciate things they took for granted before things became tough. To anyone who might or might not have beaten the odds, but who is doing everything they possibly can to do so. This is a letter to all survivors.

March 19, 2017

9 things I'm grateful for as I celebrate my 3rd birthday since the onset of my chronic illness

March 19, 2017/ Johanna Galea

I wrote this blog post as I was celebrating my 32nd birthday, which was also my 3rd since the onset of my mysterious chronic illness. As it was also my 1st birthday since recovering fully through DNRS, I thought it was a good time to make a list of things I'm grateful for, since the whole journey made me realise how many things I took for granted before my illness started. So here’s my 32nd birthday gratitude list.

March 12, 2017

10 ways to make overcoming obstacles easier

March 12, 2017/ Johanna Galea

I can still remember driving home from the first fitting for our bridesmaids’ dresses for Corinne’s wedding after having been housebound for months. I felt so free and empowered and realised in that moment that I could actually recover if I kept at it, although I knew that I still had a LONG way to go. Still, trusting the process and believing I could do it wasn’t easy. But there were 10 things which I believe really made things easier for me and which can help anyone overcome most obstacles that life might present.

March 05, 2017

Chronic illness to 13 mile race in 13 months

March 05, 2017/ Johanna Galea

When I think back to what my life was like just over a year ago when I was chronically ill, I still find it hard to believe that by the time you read this, if all goes well, I’ll have completed a 13 mile race. Before I started DNRS just over a year ago, I would go to sleep wondering whether I would be well enough to get out of bed the next morning. So as I write this today I still can’t quite believe that I’ve prepared all my stuff to get up for a half marathon tomorrow! Here’s all about what this means to me and what it could mean to others suffering from mysterious, chronic illnesses – even if they have no intention of ever running a half marathon down the line (I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea :) ).

Photo by Alan Falzon

February 26, 2017

A letter to myself before I became chronically ill

February 26, 2017/ Johanna Galea

Being chronically ill taught me quite a few lessons and more than anything it taught me to slow down and appreciate the little things in life. It also helped me realise that in actual fact the little things are the big things. Now that I’ve recovered fully, I still like to occasionally remind myself of the things my chronic illness taught me, because life can be so rushed that it can be easy to forget. So here’s a letter to my 29-year-old self, to the person who hadn’t yet learned any of these lessons.

February 19, 2017

15 uplifting quotes for when you’re feeling down

February 19, 2017/ Johanna Galea

I know no one likes being ill. But after being chronically ill for so long and then recovering, things like colds and flu upset me a bit more than they should and a bit more than they used to. And since this cold has been dragging on for over a week, I’m not in the best of moods today. So instead of one of my usual blog posts, here’s a collection of 15 uplifting quotes which always cheer me up when I’m feeling down.

Photo by Rene Rossignaud Photography

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