Living with Chronic Illness

Life isn’t easy. It’s especially not easy while dealing with chronic illness. It can touches every area of your life. Here are some things I’ve found help me deal with the emotional aspects of chronic pain and illness.

Be Easy on Yourself

You didn’t choose the illness or pain. Being angry at yourself or your body, while it makes sense on one hand, doesn’t help in the long run. Your body doesn’t need more chaos… it needs peace and love. So to the best of your ability, be easy on yourself. If you can’t do what you did yesterday or last week or last year… it’s okay.

Be Present

You are where you are now. Live from this very moment. Be present… even when it’s hard. I find I get deep into a state of avoidance when the worst of my symptoms flare up and I sort of get stalled out there. Coming back to the present instead of worrying about the future or the past helps me move forward.

Let it Wash Over You

The biggest lesson I have learned living with chronic illness and chronic pain is that the best thing I can do when met with pain is to not resist it. Not that I’m glad that the pain is there but trying to resist it doesn’t help me. It is much easier to face and work through when I can consciously relax myself and let the pain wash over me like a wave. I have found this is just a true for emotional pain as it is for physical pain. It doesn’t mean I don’t take pain relievers for physical pain as needed or that I don’t use plant allies like passionflower to help with anxious feelings… but I let the relievers do the work they need to do while simultaneously letting the pain be what it is and not white-knuckling through the pain.

Focus on What You Can Do

Some days the only thing I can do is stay alive. That’s a feat! Some days I can take a shower. That’s amazing! Some days I can write a blog post. GREAT! Point is, no matter what you were able to do that particular day, focus on what you accomplished not what you “missed”. You deserve the kindness and support from yourself as you walk through varying days characterized by different levels of ability.

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