What do you do when your partner is struggling with chronic illness and pushing you away? In order to understand what you need to do, you have to first understand what your partner really needs, and what they are really asking for when they push you away. The following question came via email … [Read more...]
Don’t envy the lives of others – you don’t know the whole story
Don't Envy the Lives of Others: you don't know the whole story We rarely see the whole picture of someone else's life. We see small parts that we envy, but if we knew the whole story we'd likely realize that there wasn't really anything to envy. Even before social media, we were … [Read more...]
6 Things those living with chronic illness need to know
What you need to know if you live with chronic illness Chronic pain and fatigue can really wear you down, whether it's fibromyalgia, CFS/ME, lupus, or something else. Living in chronic pain can tear at your soul, it can make you feel worthless, and unworthy, but you are not. As I've talked with … [Read more...]
Do You Have Compassion For Yourself?
We expect others to give compassion. We expect them to have it towards others as well as themselves. We give compassion to others without thinking, but do you have compassion for yourself? I've written and thought a lot lately about compassion. How doctors lack it, how people need to be more … [Read more...]
Communicating Your Needs When You Have Chronic Illness
A friend in my local fibro support group asked a fairly common question about how you deal with family who just don't get that your energy level varies, they don't get that you really DO hurt and that you really DON'T have any energy. How do you communicate your needs when you have chronic illness … [Read more...]
Things to Say to Someone with Chronic Illness
If you love someone with chronic illness, you want to show them you care. There are plenty of lists of things that you shouldn't say, things that aren't helpful to them or to your relationship. But, more important are the things that you should say to someone with chronic illness. These are the … [Read more...]
Have you let Pain take your Identity?
How much of your identity revolves around your illness? Around your pain? How do you describe yourself? If I asked you to describe yourself to me right now, what would you say? Would you include your pain and illness in that description? When you live with chronic pain, sometimes that pain is … [Read more...]
How to Help Your Chronically Ill Friend Feel Worse
Do you have a friend with chronic illness? Do you want to make them feel worse? No, I don't think you do. You probably want to make them feel better. If that's the case, you really shouldn't do the things on this list. But, there's a good chance that no matter how much you love them you've done one … [Read more...]
Who are we to judge another’s illness?
How many times have you seen a comment from someone on social media commenting on how someone else with an illness can't possibly have it as bad as they claim (or as the author of the status). I ran across the below "migraine status" meme on Instagram. "If you're typing a status update that … [Read more...]
The Importance of Asking For Help
Too often we don't ask for help because we assume that others will not be there for us, or that even if they want to be there, they won't be able to help. The problem is that we'll never know if we can depend on others if we never ask. This quote came straight from my Psych book: "Social support … [Read more...]
