LIVING WITH A CHRONIC ILLNESS cont’d
This is from an article I really like written by psychologist Deborah Kors on the stages we go through when and the strategies we can use when we have developed or been diagnosed with a chronic illness. Although she refers mostly to a physical illness it is totally applicable to a mental illness as well. If you want to read the complete article go to
Yesterday’s post I summarized the four stages she says we go through. Today I will summarize four of the strategies she suggests we can use to help us move through the four stages.
My comments are in italics.
#1 STOP BLAMING YOURSELF. Your illness is not your fault. It’s really important that you slowly develop compassion for yourself and the situation you are in. It takes a lot of strength to deal with a chronic illness and it really helps to validate your courage.
#2 SLOWLY CHANGE YOUR EXPECTATIONS. You now need a different yard stick to measure your accomplishments. Yes, this may be very hard to face but it is very important to give yourself credit for all the “small” tasks you succeed in doing. [Now they are not so “small” but often a very big deal]
Pace yourself and do small chunks at a time with breaks in between. This way you won’t crash the next day.
#3 YOU MAY GO THROUGH A NUMBER OF EMOTIONAL CHANGES. It’s not uncommon to have outbursts of anger or sadness in response to your illness. This is quite normal as you are dealing with some very significant changes in your life now.
#4 LEARN TO ASK FOR HELP. Other people in your life may not know how to support you and you may have to educate them as to what you need. It is essential to have support from friends, family or a therapist at this time. A support group made up of people who are in the same situation can be extremely helpful.
Next time I will give three more strategies that Kors suggests. I hope you find these helpful.
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