Coping Day to Day with Chronic Illness

I don’t believe anyone can tell you how to cope with your chronic illness. I know I can’t.

I won't.

 What I will do is explain how I cope with mine, and offer some advice.


Let’s be frank. Nobody knows the extent of your physical or emotional pain. Nobody knows how it makes you feel when you are dependent upon others to meet many of your day to day needs. You are not a child after all! Yet, sadly, some of us feel relegated to the status of a dependent child. 

That said, nobody knows your particular emotional state better than you. And,  you are entitled to your feelings. You have every right to be angry, frustrated and insulted when people say, “I know how you feel”, or “stop feeling sorry for yourself.”


Having said this, and keeping in mind that I am afflicted with a chronic illness, it’s how we choose to deal with our feelings that will either help us, or make the situation worse.  It's my firm belief, therefore,  that no matter what our situations are, we can change our outlook by changing our thinking.   

 I chose, for example, to pour my energy into positive activities like writing and engaging in my favorite hobby,  rather than waste my time dwelling on my pain. I have found the more attention I pay to these activities, the less pain I feel.  Conversely, the more I allow my thoughts to center on my pain, the more negative my attitude becomes.


When I volunteered with a physical therapy clinic, I even experienced a spiritually rewarding warmth that I had never felt elsewhere. I would not have experienced this if I had not become afflicted.


So, while I can’t ell you what to do to cope, I can suggest that you get your mind off your problems by immersing yourself in something positive that you enjoy.


If you successfully cope, what are your strategies? Leave a comment below, or in the guestbook.


Thanks.