Solange Knowles is the quintessential carefree black girl. Her willingness to embrace every single facet of her being in an open, honest way is just one of the many reasons why her fans are drawn to her.
This week, Solange opened up about her private life, taking to Instagram to express her experiences living with an autonomic disorder.
According to the Mayo Clinic autonomic disorders usually refer to problems involving the autonomic nervous system, which serves as the control system for most of our involuntary functions. When problems arise with the autonomic nervous system, the body can have trouble regulating blood pressure, body temperature and both bowel and bladder functions. Some people who suffer from autonomic disorders also find themselves feeling overwhelmingly weak, fainting suddenly and can have difficulty thinking clearly.
In her post, Solange did not go into her symptoms, and in fact wrote that she was reticent to share anything about her health at all, beginning her post by saying, "Wrote, deleted and re wrote this like 5 times…"
Solange revealed that this isn't a new problem for her, and that the disorder has been a roller coaster ride for her:
"The past five months I have been quietly treating, and working through an autonomic disorder. It [sic] been a journey that hasn’t been easy on me … sometimes I feel cool, and other times not so cool at all."
The artist wrote that she felt compelled to speak out about her illness now because she's had to cancel an appearance at Afropunk in South Africa at the last minute. She felt that people who had spent their hard-earned money to come see her deserved an explanation as to why she wouldn't be performing.
"I can’t put into words how saddened and sorry I am that I am unable to perform for you guys this NYE, there is simply no other place I wanted to be than there with my family to bring in 2018 with you … but I give you my ABSOLUTE WORD I will come back with Afropunk and deliver this performance … as it is so extremely important to me to connect with the people who have so closely inspired me in so many ways," Solange wrote.
"It’s a complicated diagnoses , and I’m still learning so much myself, but right now, my doctors are not clearing me for such an extended lengthy flight, and doing a rigorous show right after."
Solange also assured her fans that she has been working hard to practice what she preaches when it comes to self-care.
"As a part of the self care that I’ve tried to encourage this past year, it needs to start with myself, and I’m looking forward to doing a better job of this 2018," she wrote.
