"Embrace. No, not that kind of embrace. Not a hug... well, not a physical hug. Embrace as in the old-fashioned word for "include" or "to have as part of a whole." I think "embrace" is a good word for 2026.
I heard the song "Embraceable You" sung by the great Nat "King" Cole on my favorite jazz playlist. It occurred to me how many meanings the word "embrace" holds. (and "hold" is another word for embrace lol) Think about how often we use words that are synonyms for the word "embrace." Yet it still seems like an old fashioned word doesn't it? For those of us who have conditions that fit under the umbrella of rare disease we are asked to both embrace and brace. Brace ourselves for difficult news, difficult opinions from those outside our umbrella, ect.. What if we "flip the script" as the saying goes what if we use the word embrace. Embrace the difficult news ahead, embrace the difficult opinions, judgements, or painful rejection. If we "brace" as in "to take heart" or "brace-up" (Merriam Webster Thesaurus) instead of just preparing ourselves for something else to go wrong. Yes I do know what I'm asking of myself and anyone reading this message. I'm asking you to give yourself the grace to accept the difficult things.
My experience with fellow rare disease fighters has taught me that we are far more likely to give grace to others than we give ourselves. We readily accept accusations, criticism, subtle digs, and shunning, but we're not ready to prioritize our own mental health. @DonnaFA has initiated a journey for me to understand why I tolerate so much negativity from my family, allowing myself to shrink and undervalue my contributions. I've endured endless comments like "eat clean," "heal your body," "get more exercise," and the most hurtful, "your family deserves better." That last one was the breaking point. Yes, I was very angry. But, of course, anger and high emotions are detrimental to my POTS and MCAS. I vented here on Rare Disease. I then had to consider what to do now that family members had made their opinions very clear. As difficult as it was, I had to let go of expectations. Not cut them out of my life, but release the expectation that my family would behave respectfully. Clearly, that wasn't the case. I could respect myself enough to recognize my family discussed my life behind my back, but I didn't have to engage with or embrace their opinions. They haven't walked in my shoes; why should I expect them to understand?

For the past 13 of my 60 years, I've navigated a complex world of symptoms, new comorbidities, and the resulting mental health challenges. I've embraced my rare diseases as an integral part of who I am. No one gets to dictate the development of my whole self or the circumstances surrounding it. Am I perfect? No, not even close, as my forum posts might attest – I can be a bit of a "walking, talking dumpster fire." However, learning to shift my perspective this year will make a world of difference. Distinguishing between my own issues and those of others will be key to regaining my emotional well-being. I am grateful to DonnaFA and others in this forum for helping me realize I have a right to my own peace.
Side Bar for those who like history: Embrace, it's an Anglo-French word, and according to WordReference, it means: Embrace came into English in the early 14th century through Anglo-French, which adopted the Old French verb *embracier* (*embrasser* in Modern French), which meant "hold in the arms, enclose, covet, or cope with." It is formed with the prefix *en*- or *em*-, meaning "in," and *brace* or *braz*, meaning "arms," which comes from the Latin *bracchium* (plural *brachia*), also meaning "arms." The noun form, meaning "hug," first appeared in the late 16th century."