Yes, it does indeed suck

The biggest thing that makes chronic illness/disability sucky is that you never know what is going to happen. Sometimes you have good, or maybe even great days. Other times it is awful. And often a worsening or an added symptom/diagnosis can come out of the blue. You think that you will be okay with it because you have already gone through so much, but that doesn’t mean that this new thing is still not bad. You are still allowed to be sad about it, angry, or any other emotion you are feeling in that moment. And a lot of times you need to give yourself space to grieve this new addition (or subtraction) to your life.

Sometimes after being diagnosed you believe that nothing could be worse. Especially if this has taken years and you have already had reduced capabilities in many areas of your life due to this disease. This can be so life changing that you really can’t think of anything else that would affect you so much or in the scale of things would be that bad.

So when you have another diagnosis that is shocking or also life changing, you don’t know how to react. Your brain could start going “This isn’t that bad. I have had worse. Think of everything else awful that has happened, this can’t be as bad,” and so on and so forth. This makes conceptualizing what just occurred difficult as you can try to place it on your “chronic illness sucks” scale.

At this point it is important to remember that you can always be sad about your health journey. That you are allowed to be wrestling with emotions. And that you are allowed to give yourself the permission to feel all the feelings you are feeling and acknowledge that yes you have been through bad things but this is also bad. You are allowed to grieve. Allow yourself to feel and don’t be afraid to feel. Emotions are important as they help us sort things out. And the longer you try to avoid them, or bottle them up, the harder it is to function. Your journey can be hard up to this point and this new diagnosis/symptom can also be hard, both statements are true.

And don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it, either from family, friends, or a therapist. If none of that feels comfortable to you, book a meeting with me ($20), I am always here to listen.

 A Final Note

As we move into the season of fall, this is a great time to get cozy. Drink tea. Read a book. Watch Gilmore Girls. And it is a great time to take care of yourself. Self-care is not selfish! Plus with the weather getting worse, and it being trendy to stay inside and be cozy, this is a great time to start making self-care a habit. Remember you are important!

If you would like to learn more about chronic illness/disability but don’t want to ask your family or friends, reach out and book a chronic illness/disability support meeting with Sarah for $20 where she can answer your questions.