Holding uncertainty when living with chronic health conditions.
Living with chronic health conditions can be an incredibly lonely and unpredictable journey, full of lots of ups and downs. The unknowns and uncertainty that come with chronic illness make it difficult to make plans and commit to things ahead of time for fear that you won’t feel well enough on the day or in the hours before an event/activity.
‘What if I have a flare up?’
Prior to the event, a person may notice that they are spending a log of their mental energy worrying about ‘what if’ scenarios, planning and preparing for worst case scenario, best case scenario and everything in between. You may feel as though you are being extra vigilant so you can nip things in the bud quickly, before they become a bigger issue.
‘I feel like a burden to my friends and family’
What happens when you do miss these events, the catch up with your pals, your friend’s birthday, cancelling a date last minute, your niece’s christening? Living with chronic health conditions can bring with it an assault of guilt and shame, for letting others down, for letting yourself down and some people may experience feelings of failure, worthlessness, feeling like their are a burden. People may have made allowances for you in the past, the first few times it happened, but all of a sudden, the invites are becoming less and less frequent, which is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because you no longer have to turn them down anymore and feel guilty but a curse because it can feel very isolating, hurtful and your support network is dwindling.
Living with chronic health conditions symptoms effects your whole life
I haven’t painted the most pleasant or optimistic picture here but the truth is, that this is the lived experience of many people living with persistent pain, chronic fatigue, widespread inflammatory pain & fibromyalgia. It is important to acknowledge the wider picture when it comes to managing your symptoms.
How we support you within a holistic framework
At Reale Recovery, we take into account the whole being. We look at your support systems and your network, whether you feel you’re being supported and what/if anything would improve your situation. We look at supporting you with engaging in other community groups, chronic health conditions support networks (if you so desire) and developing a structured, scientific evidence-based system to get you back doing all the things you love to do.
Mental Health Matters, Minding your Mind
We are not clinical psychologists but we do screen your mental health, overall wellbeing and satisfaction with life. We utilise mental skills and behaviour change principles to improve your adherence to your health goals and lifestyle changes and we signpost you to suitable specialist services if we feel your needs require more expert care with regards to your mental health wellness.
Chronic health conditions recovery is possible.
While the opening paragraphs of this blog may feel a little infuriating and disillusioning, I hope to offer a source of hope that things can improve. With the right structure and supports in place, you will become an expert at knowing yourself and your limits, something I am sure you are already becoming better at day by day. You will also have more tools in your toolkit to help you when those flare ups do occur, when the feelings of guilt, shame, embarrassment, not being enough arise and you will be able to plan effectively for getting back on track quickly when you feel you have strayed off course.
If you would like to find out more about these kinds of strategies, reach out, let’s have a chat.