Hi Friend.
There are so many ways that we can play a part in our own gaslighting, consciously or unconsciously.
What I see a lot of people do when they get chronic illness is attempting to "protect" their family from it, so that their lives don't need to change.
And you know what?
That is doing yourself a HUGE disservice and participating in the gaslighting of your disease by unconsciously minimising it or trivialising it.
It's also a really good way to ensure that you don't get any support or validation from the people that you most need it from.
Chronic illness is one of those life changing, cosmic car accidents that just happens.
You didn't cause it and you don't deserve it.
It is a fact of life that has changed how you feel, function and live and ALL of your family needs to understand, accept and adapt to it, just the same as if you have a clearly visible disability.
Generally, the people in our lives take their cues from us about what we are willing to accept and what we strongly believe in so the first person who needs to take your chronic illness seriously is you.
If you have family members who don't believe you, who think you are making it up, just being lazy or attention seeking, then that says so much more about them, than it does about you.
If you look back over your relationship with them, those issues have probably been there all along.
Unfortunately sometimes family members are not emotionally safe and don't give you the love, support and understanding that you so deserve.
I have years of experience at helping the adult children of toxic and abusive parents and family, break free from the guilt, manipulation and gaslighting and I would love to help you too. | 
