Hi Friend,
If you have ever had moments when you have felt like a failure because you struggle to cope with living with chronic illness, there is a very real and valid reason for that.
You can spend most of every single day, beating yourself up for not being "strong" enough to deal with it and feeling guilty because you can't seem to cope.
But here's the thing you need to realise Friend:
Nothing in your life so far could have prepared you for the reality of chronic illness.
It is one of those things that you actually need to experience before you can even believe it.
Nothing in our medical model can deal effectively with chronic illness nor is it set up to support people with chronic illness because autoimmune disease at present, has no cure.
Chronic illness is not talked about openly in our families, communities and societies so very few people even know what it is until it happens to them and when it does, there is so little help and support out there.
Chronic illness doesn't fit the only model we have about illness which is:
- You get sick and you get better.
- You get sick and you die.
- You have a disability from accident or birth.
No one in your life except for other people with chronic illness can possibly relate to how you feel, which leaves you with an invisible illness that many people have difficulty believing can affect you as badly as you say it does!
Add in the fact that chronic illness is ongoing and often progressive, makes your energy levels, ability to remember things and ability to function completely unpredictable and you can easily see how it all becomes so overwhelming.
When you top this off with the medical gaslighting so many of us experience when you are told that your symptoms are "all in your head," and you have to keep going from Doctor to Doctor for years just trying to get a diagnosis, is it any wonder why you struggle to deal with it?
Chronic illness is with you every day and often, in every waking moment.
Nothing in your life so far could have prepared you for the reality of chronic illness.
All of the other challenges we face in life like heart break, divorce, bereavement or illnesses like cancer, are all understood because most of us have first hand experience of what it feels like.
We understand the concepts, we see models of recovery and most importantly, that challenge has an end date. You know that it will end one way or the other.
But chronic illness is always there, always changing and brings about the one thing in life that creates the most anxiety: uncertainty.
As human beings, we thrive on predictability, habit, routine, security. Knowing what to expect on a daily basis makes things feel so much more secure and familiar.
So please Friend, if you are beating yourself up about not being strong enough or self-disciplined enough or brave enough to cope with chronic illness, it is NOT your fault.
Whatever you are doing right now to deal with it in this moment, is absolutely enough.
I did a Facebook live on my page yesterday about this so if you missed it and want to see it, you can find the video and more on my Emotional Autoimmunity Youtube channel.
If you are feeling anxious, if you feel like you can't keep doing this alone, if you are worried about the impact that this is having on your relationship or if you feel stuck in trauma or depression, remember you can book your FREE 25 minute Discovery Session with me using the link below and let's see if I am the right therapist to help you get your life and happiness back.
(p.s. more will be coming soon about how you can learn all of my mindshift strategy secrets soon so stay tuned.)
warm wishes
Kerry
P.P.S.
Episode 20 of the EA podcast with my special guest, Robyn Baldwin is live on the blog right now.
When you are a young, type A Alpha female with big goals and dreams, what do you do when you get hit with Multiple Sclerosis? Robyn's initial response was to do everything she could to prove that she was "stronger than MS" by committing herself to running 20 races which only left her feeling worse.
Find out how Robyn made the shift from MS warrior to MS thriver and feeling great about what she is still able to achieve.
Have a listen using the link on the blog below or search and subscribe on iTunes, Spotify and most podcast players.
If you loved this episode and feel inspired, please leave us a review.
Want to share your chronic illness story?
Think about being a guest on my podcast!
You need to have chronic illness yourself and feel that your story will help or inspire other people.
If you are interested, hit reply to this email and tell me a little about yourself, your illness and why you want to share your story and if you have any blog posts I can read, please share the link with me.
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