There was a day last year that I was ready to break down. My emotional pot had been filled with water, it was full and about to boil over. For the first time since I was first diagnosed, I was feeling overwhelmed again.
I think we all have days where we feel overwhelmed. For me, having a reoccurrence of past symptoms brought back memories of feeling helpless. What if my illness turns for the worst? What if I become helpless and have to rely on others to take care of me? What if….?
Life with chronic illness is filled with “What ifs”.
Hell, everyone’s life is filled with “What ifs”. Chronic illness fighters are just lucky enough that our “What ifs” can cause us to think of the worst. We worry about the worst because we know what it feels like when we are at the rock bottom. A rock bottom where we have no control. A place we never want to be again.
As we consider our future, flare ups and doctors appointments make it hard to consider the best case. We suit up for combat, knowing we won’t win every battle but we hope to win the war.
The reality is that having a chronic illness puts a huge strain on our psyche. Every bad day is a reminder that we have a war to win.
The hardest part is that we need to stay positive. We need to relieve self doubt. We need to understand that we will have our ups, and we will have our downs, but we will persevere.
Here are three tips you can use any time you feel like you are losing the war:
1) Find Support
The best way to overcome any obstacle is to not overcome it alone. All too often we let our emotional pot boil until it boils over. As soon as it starts to boil you need to turn the heat down. Start to build a self awareness. Start to understand when you are getting stressed about your illness. There are many places you can find support. Friends, family, in person support groups and online support groups such as the Can’t Stop Me Community. Every form of support helps. Human interaction is one of the best remedies for letting out your stress. After all, if you are the pot of water you need to have a helping hand to get yourself off of the burner.
2) Re Read Your Hopes and Dreams
Next time you are having a great day, I want you to write down how you feel. What emotions are you feeling? What goals are you achieving? Who are you hanging out with? What is your purpose in life, and how are you fulfilling it in that moment? The goal is to write it all down so you will have a reminder on what is so great in your life. When you are feeling overwhelmed, pick up what you wrote about your best days and read it. Remind yourself what you should be grateful for, and strive to re-live another great day. I know personally that my best days are far better than my worst, and sometimes the best days seem unachievable. That is where we are wrong. Our best days will come again, we just need to remind ourselves.
3) Take The Smallest Actions
When you are stressed and overwhelmed, making a major change is often near impossible. Especially during a flare up. You need to start to make the smallest of changes. The key to feeling better is just starting somewhere. For me, when I have a flare up the best remedy is to start to read a good book –a book that will take my mind off of the flare up and onto something else. Then, my next step is to get some exercise, even if it just means walking. One small action leads to the next. I know that eventually I will be back to feeling happy again.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Respond below. After all, I think we should all help each other out!
Dave
Hi my names Julie I’ve joined the community .im really struggling at the moment.as regards dating I have just met some one.i don’t know where to start regards explains things to him.regards Cfs/me .as I’m only just getting help with different appointments.i carnt work at the moment was finished from work in November due to ill health..I’m in a mess financially but have got help and advice from step change.but getting stressed about everything at the moment .im just going threw an appeal with pip as have been refused.as at the time I filled the form out I couldn’t get no help to fill the form in so did myself which they are basing it on as I didn’t fill it out correct .anyway I’m trying to be positive .my backs gone in to full spasm the last couple of days ..any advice I live on my own and don’t really know any one where I’m living as had to relocate as was homeless due to a break down in relashionship with having fibromyalgia and Cfs/me …I’m still trying to be posotive .
Hi Dave,
I too have MS, I was diagnosed back in 1994.
It is a chronic condition and, in many respects, a very limiting condition. But being a fighter is what keeps me going; I don’t win every battle but my MS is being managed.
Belief is everything. Whether it is a new medication or a new diet. If you believe it can make a difference, you are half way there.
Thanks Stephen!