Full interview with Mindfood Magazine and Homebody Club founder, Lucy Green

Interview by Cat Rodie for Mindfood Magazine in April 2023.

Please find the original article here in Mindfood August/September Magazine.

Can you give me a bit of an overview of your situation re invisible illness?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had invisible illnesses. At age 7, I was formally diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and in my early twenties, I was additionally diagnosed with Lupus. Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus are both autoimmune diseases and come under the banner of ‘Mixed Connective Tissue Disease’. Basically, my body’s immune system misinterprets itself as an intruder (like a virus or disease) and attacks itself.

My illnesses can affect my joints, skin and organs. When I was a child, I struggled with chronic joint pain and always found myself sick due to my struggling immune system. I spent a lot of time at the hospital undergoing drug trials and physical therapies.

Now at 31 years old, my invisible illnesses affect my joints (inflammation and chronic pain), my skin (rashes and light sensitivities) and brain (severe migraines and brain fog). I’m still in recovery from a flair-up from the past year. A flair-up involves heightened chronic pain in my joints and muscles. During the worst days, I would be unable to get out of bed or hold a cup of coffee due to the pain.

Day to day now, I manage my condition mainly with lifestyle choices. Stress impacts my health substantially, so I can feel it in my body when I have pushed things too much by experiencing pain, inflamed joints and migraines. Limiting alcohol, sugar and processed foods (I know, all the fun stuff!) and keeping a stable routine with my self-care practices helps me to maintain my health.

Please tell me a bit about what your current self-care practice looks like and how it makes a difference

Self-care for me is not a luxury or a fad, it’s a non-negotiable way to be able to live my daily life. I like to integrate my self-care practices into my daily routine, so it’s sprinkled throughout the day.

In the morning I enjoy deliberate cold water exposure through cold showers. I know what you’re thinking - that sounds like the worst thing to do first thing in the morning - and you’re kinda right. It doesn’t really get any easier, but I have found so many benefits from cold showers that it makes it worthwhile. Each morning I finish my shower with 1-2 minutes of freezing cold water, which helps to calm my nervous system and makes me feel alert. Long-term it has definitely helped to reduce my overall inflammation.

When I get to the office in the morning, I do a quick brain dump and journal about everything that’s swirling in my head. I find this helps to clear my mind and put me in the right mindset to tackle the day. During the day I practice some simple stretches at my desk. Nothing crazy, just some side body and neck stretches in my chair. It helps me to add a little mindfulness to my day and check in with my body.

At night I practice breathwork and meditation for about 10-20 minutes. It’s very important for me to let go of the day’s stressors and find a sense of calm. I’ve found that breathwork is especially helpful for me as someone who deals with chronic pain. I can have the tendency to dissociate from my body to try and ignore pain, and breathwork helps me to connect back in a peaceful way.

If I haven’t already moved for the day (I like to go to reformer pilates classes or go for a long walk after work), I will practice some slow restorative yoga via youtube or an app. I’ve found that restorative yoga has been the most accessible for me, as I can use props such as blankets or pillows for my sore joints, or even practice in bed if I need the extra comfort.

The 'self-care' industry has boomed in recent years with a swath of products/ apps/ books promoting self-care - do you have any thoughts on this? ie, are there people trying to take advantage of people in need of self-care? If so, do you have any advice to help readers spot the difference between what is and isn't authentic self-care?

Brands have definitely jumped on the self-care trend and are using it as a reason to make you buy. They can manipulate us using phrasing like ‘treat yourself with <insert product here>’ or ‘show yourself love with <insert product here>”.

Identifying authentic self-care really comes from within. I like to define self-care as listening to yourself and answering your body or mind’s needs accordingly.

So, if you’re considering whether something is authentically self-care or not, you can ask yourself - what is the emotion or thought process behind this self-care activity or product?

We can sometimes feel pressured to buy into something, like we ‘should’ do it because we’ve seen it everyone across social media. We can also use self-care products to numb uncomfortable feelings, or as an excuse to overindulge. That is often not authentic self-care, and when we go back to the definition, we are not listening to our body or mind, there are different motivators involved.

On the flip side, if the self-care product or activity leaves you feeling nourished, grounded and calmer, those are sure signs that this type of self-care is authentic and right for you.

It’s really just about coming back to being authentic with yourself. Self-care differs from each individual, so it’s important to remember that what benefits you may not be the same for others.

Please tell me a bit about the work you do through Homebody Club and why it's important for all bodies to have access to self-care?

I started Homebody Club five years ago as a way to connect with likeminded people who are interested in wellbeing and self-care.

I have a weekly newsletter with wellbeing resources and tips, a blog and have held online and in-person community events.

My focus on self-care and wellbeing for all bodies, especially those with invisible illnesses, came to light when I became very ill with a Lupus flair-up at the end of 2021.

I felt like most of the strong voices in the industry were able-bodied people who didn’t quite understand the experiences of those with invisible illnesses. It was important to me to create a space where people felt understood and less alone.

I believe that self-care is not an ‘one size fits all approach’. We all have different brains and bodies and self-care needs to be adaptive and inclusive to cater to this.

It’s so important that wellbeing is accessible for all, not just the glorified bodies we see in the media. I want to show different types of self-care. This can look like different types of meditations (like breathwork or EFT tapping), restorative movements  (like accessible yoga that uses props and blankets or that can be done in bed or a chair) and a plethora of mindfulness activities that can meet you where you are in the moment.

I encourage my community of Homebodies to pick and choose their self-care activities. If something feels good for them, then they can integrate it into their routines. If it’s not right for them, then leave it. There’s a self-care option for everyone.

Any other thoughts or comments re self-care?

Self-care can sound complicated, time consuming and expensive, but it really doesn’t need to be any of those things.

If you’re new to the self-care world, I suggest creating a little self-care menu that you can keep in your notes app or fave journal. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, or have decision fatigue, you can look through it and find something that feels right in the moment. It could be things like; stretching, making your favourite tea, reading, going for a walk, going to bed early or chatting with your best friend.

At the end of the day, remember that self-care is a reminder to check-in with yourself, and curiously exploring how you’re doing physically and emotionally.