Rare Disease

Rare Disease Week 2026

Grateful to stand with fellow RDLA advocates from Vermont and Maine this week as we met with Senators and staffers to share the realities of rare disease communities.

These conversations matter because policy begins with people, and lived experience helps shape the systems meant to support us.

Thank you to everyone who continues to advocate, educate, and show up for one another. 💙

#rarediseaseweek #rdla #rarediseaseday #Advocacy

Happy Friday, Mighties! 😊

Exploring, owning, and expressing confidence can be a lifelong practice. It often takes self-awareness and compassion, especially as we learn how to see and understand ourselves more clearly. There may be moments when our confidence wanes, feels dependent on external factors, or grows stronger depending on where we are or what we’re doing. In those moments of clarity, our confidence can feel grounded and energizing, motivating us to better understand and trust ourselves.

💌 Gentle reminder: If confidence feels like a challenging topic for you, that’s OK — we get it. Our health, for example, can absolutely impact our confidence levels. Please know that you deserve those moments when your confidence peeks out or even thrives. We’re here with you wherever you are on that journey. We’re cheering you on and holding space for you.

#MightyMinute #CheckInWithMe #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #Disability #RareDisease #MentalHealth #Anxiety #Autism #Parenting #PTSD #ADHD #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #BipolarDisorder #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #EatingDisorders #Depression #Fibromyalgia #Lupus #MultipleSclerosis #Migraine #Spoonie

The mind is wired to focus on what feels missing. When you fixate on an outcome like love, success, or status, your brain keeps scanning for evidence that you do not yet have it. That creates the feeling of lack, even if you are making progress. This is often called the arrival fallacy, the belief that happiness will begin once you reach a certain milestone. In reality, fulfillment grows from engaging in meaningful action right now. Focus on building skills, nurturing relationships, and doing work you care about. When your attention shifts from chasing to creating, the feeling of lack begins to dissolve.

Ask yourself: Am I chasing a result, or am I building a life?

If you want to learn more about this, check out my video by clicking on one of the links below.

www.instagram.com/thomas_of_copenhagen

www.tiktok.com/@thomas_of_copenhagen

~ Thanks to all. Thanks for all. ~

#MentalHealth #MentalHealth #Depression #Anxiety #BipolarDisorder #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Addiction #dissociativedisorders #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #ADHD #Fibromyalgia #EhlersDanlosSyndrome #PTSD #Cancer #RareDisease #Disability #Autism #Diabetes #EatingDisorders #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #RheumatoidArthritis #Suicide #MightyTogether

Adulting can be challenging for many reasons. One of the biggest can be the “harsh,” difficult, eye-opening, comforting, or even transformative realizations that come from experiences shaping and reshaping your perspective.

Mighty staffer @sparklywartanks recently realized that she’ll have to do things even when she feels scared or anxious. If she wants better opportunities, she has to work through what she once believed she couldn’t. She constantly reminds herself that it’s OK to ask for help and that she doesn’t have to know everything. She doesn’t have to have it all figured out.

What’s a realization you’ve had recently?

#MightyMinute #CheckInWithMe #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #Disability #RareDisease #MentalHealth #Anxiety #Autism #Parenting #PTSD #ADHD #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #BipolarDisorder #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #EatingDisorders #Depression #Fibromyalgia #Lupus #MultipleSclerosis #Migraine #Spoonie

Now that we've discussed what boundaries are and how they look for us, let's end this week's challenge with setting three personal boundaries with ourselves. Remember that it's totally OK to have needs and want to express them!

Here is Mighty staffer @sparklywartanks ' boundary list:

1. Prioritizing self-care and setting aside time for things she wants to do.
2. Taking breaks throughout the day, even when she has unfinished tasks.
3. Saying no when she doesn’t have the energy to do something.

#52SmallThings #CheckInWithMe #Selfcare #MentalHealth #Disability #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #RareDisease #Anxiety #Depression #Autism #Parenting #PTSD #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #BipolarDisorder #Fibromyalgia #Lupus #MultipleSclerosis #Migraine #Spoonie

Healing from depression and emotional overwhelm often feels subtle, not dramatic. As your awareness grows, your nervous system begins to calm and your reactions soften. Over time these small moments of pausing, observing, and caring for yourself replace inner chaos with clarity and peace. The more consistently you practice awareness, the stronger your mental health becomes.

If this resonates, save it for moments when emotions feel intense.

Also, if you're going through a tough time right now, I want you to know that I post daily mental health videos about how to deal with painful thoughts. So if you or anyone you know is struggling and wants help, click on one of the links below or write me if you have any questions you want me to answer:

www.instagram.com/thomas_of_copenhagen

www.tiktok.com/@thomas_of_copenhagen

~ Thanks to all. Thanks for all. ~

#MentalHealth #MentalHealth #Depression #Anxiety #BipolarDisorder #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Addiction #dissociativedisorders #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #ADHD #Fibromyalgia #EhlersDanlosSyndrome #PTSD #Cancer #RareDisease #Disability #Autism #Diabetes #EatingDisorders #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #RheumatoidArthritis #Suicide #MightyTogether

Hi, Mighties! 🌟

How is your body feeling today? Are you experiencing any pain, fatigue, or discomfort? How would you rate it? What ways are you finding relief?

Feel free to check in using emojis, metaphors, words, scales, or phrases in the comments below. ⤵️

#MightyMinute #CheckInWithMe #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #Disability #RareDisease #MentalHealth #Anxiety #Autism #Parenting #PTSD #ADHD #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #BipolarDisorder #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #EatingDisorders #Depression #Fibromyalgia #Lupus #MultipleSclerosis #Migraine #Spoonie

Hi Mighty poets! ✏️📓

Our poetry writing challenge today is to write a poem that begins by completing the following sentence:

"I climbed a mountain and at the top I saw _____."

✨ Feel free to use any type of figurative language or poetic style you’d like!

Here’s mine:

I climbed a mountain and at the top I saw the ocean—
except instead of water, I saw clouds swimming, a sight to behold.
Each one different, a calm I never understood,
the rhythm of the horizon undisturbed.

The colors of the present—orange, blue, stardust, stillness, and truth.
The color of truth must be a shimmery golden yellow
mixed with lavender, a tinge of white.

I sat down to connect with my inner divine,
to bask in the splendor of my sight.
No words, no thoughts.

I am in community with creation.
This is it.
This is peace.
This is home.

#MightyPoets #Journaling #CheckInWithMe #MentalHealth #Depression #Anxiety #Disability #ChronicIllness #RareDisease #ChronicPain