Do you have any advice for accepting chronic illness as just a part of your life? Fatigue is really limiting and I’m finding it hard to not be angry. Spent the first 3 years after diagnosis fighting for treatment and now I’m at the point where I just want to find balance but don’t know where to start. (Therapy would be ideal but I can’t afford it)
Do you have any advice for accepting chronic illness as just a part of your life? Fatigue is really limiting and I’m finding it hard to not be angry. Spent the first 3 years after diagnosis fighting for treatment and now I’m at the point where I just want to find balance but don’t know where to start. (Therapy would be ideal but I can’t afford it)
First of all, let yourself be angry! You have every right to be angry and I truly believe if I had given myself permission to have that anger and to express it, I wouldn't have had PTSD. So punch a pillow or if your ability is limited even just screaming to loud angry music helps! Then the next thing I did is to continue to let yourself have all your feelings, whether it's sadness or loneliness when you feel like you are missing out. After all that, and only after, I actually started recognising what I could do. When I was hospitalised at 19, and my ability was even more limited than usual, I found myself wishing for the limited mobility I had before. I realised that I was so focused on what my body couldn't do, I didn't realise what it could and it's that cliche of it had to get worse, and for me to lose more to realise what I had so when more of my mobility returned after that hospitalisation, I made a promise to myself to always remember what I COULD do, not just what I couldn't. I know you are a long time follower, so you probably have already seen this, but I say this best in my TedX talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d88uXMWSVfU&ab_channel=TEDxTalks . I had a really bad health year last year, and it made me realise that it forced me to slow down and that was such a good thing. One day, I remember thinking 'wow how many people must get to their end of their life and never slow down and appreciate the day to day small things' and I realised I had a natural moment of gratitude for living a slower life. One of the main reasons we feel bad for not doing as much as others is because we live in a capitalist society that tells us we should be doing the most but the reality is doing the most very rarely brought me joy. Hope that helps! Give yourself time and patience to adjust to your newfound balance :)
Do you have any advice for accepting chronic illness as just a part of your life? Fatigue is really limiting and I’m finding it hard to not be angry. Spent the first 3 years after diagnosis fighting for treatment and now I’m at the point where I just want to find balance but don’t know where to start. (Therapy would be ideal but I can’t afford it)
First of all, let yourself be angry! You have every right to be angry and I truly believe if I had given myself permission to have that anger and to express it, I wouldn't have had PTSD. So punch a pillow or if your ability is limited even just screaming to loud angry music helps! Then the next thing I did is to continue to let yourself have all your feelings, whether it's sadness or loneliness when you feel like you are missing out. After all that, and only after, I actually started recognising what I could do. When I was hospitalised at 19, and my ability was even more limited than usual, I found myself wishing for the limited mobility I had before. I realised that I was so focused on what my body couldn't do, I didn't realise what it could and it's that cliche of it had to get worse, and for me to lose more to realise what I had so when more of my mobility returned after that hospitalisation, I made a promise to myself to always remember what I COULD do, not just what I couldn't. I know you are a long time follower, so you probably have already seen this, but I say this best in my TedX talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d88uXMWSVfU&ab_channel=TEDxTalks . I had a really bad health year last year, and it made me realise that it forced me to slow down and that was such a good thing. One day, I remember thinking 'wow how many people must get to their end of their life and never slow down and appreciate the day to day small things' and I realised I had a natural moment of gratitude for living a slower life. One of the main reasons we feel bad for not doing as much as others is because we live in a capitalist society that tells us we should be doing the most but the reality is doing the most very rarely brought me joy. Hope that helps! Give yourself time and patience to adjust to your newfound balance :)
M xx