“You have to prioritize yourself”. Ours is a time when recommendations to focus on oneself are proliferating. “You have bent over backwards too much for other people who bring you nothing”. These are ideas that circulate in cafes with friends, on social media, and in self-help books, but also in the consultations of many psychologists. “Enough of always trying to satisfy the desires of others instead of your own”.

Rocío was only 19 when her body began to fail her. Some muscles weren't responding as they should, her joints ached, and her knees and neck were swollen. What started as minor discomfort turned into intense, debilitating pain. She couldn't keep up with her friends, and she began a journey of doctor visits to find out what was happening. She says she remembers it as a very dark and frustrating time. No one could explain what she had, the tests came back fine, and some professionals even questioned her suffering. She spent nine years hopping from doctor to doctor and specialist to specialist until she was finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia, an incurable disease that causes chronic pain throughout the body.