Many people of all ages have reached a point in their lives where the chronic illness they’ve had for a while has become a challenge that feels there is no hope of it ever going away.
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Chronic illnesses can be minor or major health problems, but either way, it’s disheartening when you first realize you’re going to be dealing with this issue for a long time.
You’re faced with constant (or worsening) symptoms, numerous appointments to help you manage your health, and complex treatment plans you must navigate and tweak along the way.
It’s no wonder you often feel overwhelmed. For some people, this is often turns into chronic depression about the situation. But you don’t have to live in that mindset – where the illness overpowers your happiness and ability to thrive.
There are many who take a strategic approach to not allowing their illness to define who they are or what they’re capable of achieving. Over the next couple of weeks we’ll look at some advice you can adopt into your own life to help overcome a negative outlook so you can live out your dreams and look forward to the life you have ahead of you.
Address your Stress
Everyone endures stress on a regular basis. However, when you’re dealing with a chronic illness, your stress levels can be worse because you are either in pain or having to manage symptoms continually.
Not only will you be dealing with the regular stress factors that people handle all the time such as parenting, career, finances, and relationships, but you’ll also add to that the constant worry you feel about your treatments, condition, limitations and more.
If you feel like your chronic illness is taking a toll on your emotional health, you want to get that feeling under control so that the cortisol hormone is not making your condition worse, such as causing more inflammation and fatigue.
Start by keeping track of what is causing stress throughout your day. It may be a certain situation that you are living in, events that you “must” attend, or relationships that wreak havoc on your emotions.
If you notice there is a physical connection between your stress factors, such as your inflammation getting worse, stomach aches developing, or headaches coming on, that may be a sign that you need to reduce the impact of those situations.
You may even find that it’s not an external factor, but your own mindset that is contributing to your demise. If you feel like you are the kind of person who worst case scenarios about anything and everything, you’ll want to change the way you think and talk to yourself about what you are going through so that you can get your stress levels under control.
There are many things you can do whenever you are noticing that stress is rising in your mind and body. You can engage in relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, guided imagery, or meditation.
If you have the physical ability, you can even engage in something like yoga as an exercise that not only gets you physically fit, but helps with your stress relief, too. You can also engage in activities that simply bring out the endorphins to combat the cortisol. It can also be something creative that you enjoy, such as writing a book, painting a picture, knitting, sewing, playing a musical instrument, or even hosting a podcast!
One thing you may find is that if your stress is due to external factors, you need to start saying “no” more often. People may try to intrude on your boundaries not realizing that you are dealing with their chronic condition. You need to be in a mode of self preservation, and maintaining and prioritizing your health over things other people want or need you to do. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help from a professional therapist if you feel like your chronic illness is elevated by the stress in your life.
Read more posts in the Living and Thriving with Chronic Illness series
Read more posts about Chronic Illness
One of the things you probably need to do, especially early on in your illness (even before diagnosis) is keep track of your symptoms. Doing so can give you the information your doctor needs to determine a diagnosis or course of action. I created a symptom tracker that is available in my Etsy store as a printable or an Amazon in paperback form.
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