Welcome

Hi, I’m Brenda – and if you’ve been here before, welcome back! If you’re new, I’m glad you found your way here.

I started Bren’s Zen Journey because I wanted to get healthy, find balance and reconnect with myself. Back in 2023 when I started this blog, I thought Zen meant green smoothies, long walks and trying to get my life together one healthy habit at a time.

But for me, life had other plans. As I introduced myself two years ago, I had just been diagnosed with Sjögren’s Disease. Not exactly understanding it with the small subtle hints, my body started to whisper with things that didn’t seem quite right. I was always tired, but not tired that sleep could fix. My eyes burned, my mouth felt like sandpaper and my energy started to disappear without warning. I kept pushing through it thinking I just needed to “try harder”. Didn’t see it as a horrible thing – until now!

I am really starting to feel the effects of this autoimmune disease now. So here I am, returning to this space with a new chapter, a new perspective and honestly . . . . a new definition of “Zen”.

Zen isn’t perfection, it isn’t calm all the time, it isn’t having everything figured out. Zen is learning to breathe through the hard days. Zen is finding joy in the small moments. Zen is giving myself grace when my body needs rest. Zen is choosing to grow even when life gets messy.

This blog is now a mix of my life with Sjögrens Disease hitting me now harder than ever, my healing journey, my emotional ups and downs, and everything in between. If you’re living with chronic illness, an autoimmune disease, searching for balance, or just trying to find your own version of peace – then you’re in the right place as we learn all about it together.

So welcome to the next chapter of my Zen journey!

(DISCLAIMER: Please be sure to speak to your health care provider before making any major lifestyle changes – I am not a medical doctor – I am only writing about what has and hasn’t worked for me based on my 60 years of life and my 2 years of living with Sjögrens)