You become chronically ill that you begin to realise how much the small things can matter when you become chronically ill. When you struggle to leave the house and your world becomes reduced to the four walls of your bedroom, it can be beyond difficult to keep smiling. For many people the effects aren’t just physical; their illness leaves them isolated from friends, family and the outside world. Luckily for us, there are still others who understand: fellow chronic illness sufferers.

‘Spoonie’ is the colloquial name for a chronic illness sufferer. And there’s a whole clan of us trying to live life to the fullest from the confines of our beds. Thanks to social media we have the ability to easily connect with others in similar situations. But the favoured way to keep in touch at the moment is through Spoonie Mail: handwritten letters that we can send back and forth to each other.

Spoonie Mail

This is where stationery comes in… Spoonie Mail is the prettiest mail. There have been countless times where I’ve legitimately not wanted to open an envelope. You see the washi tape is SO PRETTY and SHOULD NOT BE CORRUPTED (true story). Spoonie Mail writers usually have an abundance of pretty stickers, writing sets, pens and pencils, fancy stamps and more, and all of that results in the cutest post ever.

You seriously wouldn’t believe how much receiving a handwritten letter through the post can make your day. When you’re stuck in bed and everything feels rubbish, just knowing that somebody is thinking of you and has taken the time to send you a letter can make such a huge difference. And for some of the more severely affected, it could be their only communication with the outside world. So clearly Spoonie Mail is important… this is therefore your blessing to spend your life’s savings on stationery. You’re welcome.

Mail for all

And although sending mail is such an important thing in the chronic illness community, that doesn’t mean it’s exclusive to us. Social media is awesome and means we can stay in touch with each other with much more ease, but why not send letters too? I recently started writing to my other friends and family and they loved it. So much so that they’ve now started doing it too. So next time you have a bit of free time, why not put your stationery to good use? Let someone know you’re thinking of them? I can guarantee you’ll make them smile.

If you’re a fellow chronic illness sufferer who would like to start sending Spoonie Mail, @SpooniePost on Twitter is a great place to start!

To keep up with me (Pippa), I’m @sassyspoonie on Twitter and Instagram, come and say hey!

I also run a non-profit called Spoonie Survival Kits, creating little bags of happiness for chronic illness sufferers. To find out more about us, we’re @SpoonieSurvival on Twitter, @SpoonieSurvivalKits on Instagram, and ‘Spoonie Survival Kits’ on Facebook.