Coping with Chronic Illness in a Society that Doesn’t Understand
For so many, chronic illness is something that affects every aspect of their life–from energy levels and sleeping habits, to necessary accommodations, and even mood stability. Unfortunately, a fast paced society often counts out the chronically ill and the way that the average person goes through their life isn’t always possible for those with chronic illness. Coping with a chronic illness can be difficult in and of itself, but having good structure and plans in place can help you adjust when the standard level of functioning in society is difficult for you.
Prioritize your symptom management
More than anything else, managing symptoms with ongoing illness is most important. In some situations, a baseline feeling of “good enough” is even hard to achieve, so focusing on taking your prescribed medications, exercising, eating well, getting enough rest, and prioritizing the recommendations made by your doctor for managing your health is key. Before you can do anything extra, such as take on a hectic schedule, it’s important that your baseline is covered and you’re feeling well enough to take on the day.
Communicate your needs
Asking for help when you need it is also something that can help you cope with chronic illness in a society arranged for the able-bodied individual. Because many people are unaware of the effects of chronic illness, they may need help in understanding how they can help you best. Reach out to your friends, neighbors, family members, teachers, and whoever else might be important in your life to express to them how they can help you better adjust to your surroundings and accommodate for your needs.
Build a chronic illness support team
Having social support is important when coping with any challenge. But when it comes to chronic illness, having more than just friends on your side is important. It’s important to take the time and energy to direct towards building a supportive network, including doctors who understand and advocate for you, trusted professionals, and supportive individuals who are understanding of your needs and treatment.
Self-care overload
People with chronic illness tend to need even more self-care than the average person, based on their specific needs and impacts to their life due to their chronic conditions. Coping with chronic illness requires you to know your own body well and increase the amount of self-care activities as appropriate. Self-care will look different for everyone–maybe it means scheduling more regular doctor’s appointments, keeping up with lab work, exercising more, or even just prioritizing your rest.
Advocate with your community
Advocacy for those with chronic illness is important to promote the understanding of what it means to live with chronic conditions to the general public and those in positions of influence. When feeling well enough to advocate, consider joining advocacy groups to help further the amount of education and prioritization of access to care for those who need it most.
About Therapist Samantha Nolan, MA, LPC, ATR- Barnum Counseling
Photo by Usman Yousaf on Unsplash