Things To Know About People With Chronic Disease
Understanding chronic disease is often hard to understand, especially if you are not exposed to someone who has chronic disease. The following, I hope, will not only encourage you but also help you to have a better understanding of the daily challenges as well as the constant struggle to find passion to life despite the struggles that people with chronic disease may possess. May it provide a new perspective for you to consider, help you understand the endurance needed for every day, and finally, may it inspire you to appreciate the people in your life who have chronic illness.
People with chronic illness have an incredible amount of strength to manage life while in pain.
They have a relentless will to live, so they must dive deep into their reservoir of strength to bring out more of it every single day. They don’t give up; instead they push through and grab hold of what they can to hang on to every day.
People with chronic illness may have a unique perspective on life.
They are constantly challenged to find meaning within their own limitations. They may celebrate simple things that others take for granted. They can have an exceptional admiration for life experiences, because they often live within the confines of their captivity. They try to look for the gifts in every day.
People with chronic illness generally don’t tell people when they are struggling.
Because they are sick so often, they may not want to burden others. They would rather struggle alone because they hate to make people feel uncomfortable or obligated in any way. They may disappear for a time – missing regular events, social activities, or friends and family gatherings. This is probably the hardest part of being chronically ill, as they truly want to join you.
People with chronic illness live a secret life of struggling.
They may not always look sick, but underneath, there is a person fighting to be well. They may fall apart as soon as they get home, after bearing the “brave face” for hours after being in good company. They may take enough medicine just to get them through the day while masking their pain with smiles so others won’t notice their struggling. They likely don’t want to be seen as sick all the time, so they may try hard to present themselves as “OK”… and often, they are not.
People with chronic illness need you to check on them.
They often feel uncomfortable reaching out for support because they feel people tired of hearing about their sickness/disease, so they stop telling their family and friends about their struggles.
People with chronic illness will often fail to follow through on commitments.
While they want desperately want to live a full life connecting with others and showing up when they say they will, people with chronic illness don’t have the privilege of knowing how they will feel each and every day. With the hope of being more predictable, the illness always controls the outcome. If they fail you, please understand that they are more disappointed than you could ever be. They have to live with the agony of letting you down while managing the physical pain they feel. Some days are all about throwing up the white flag and waiting it out.
People with chronic illness need to be able to live a life of no expectations
Some days, they may feel they are of no value because they couldn’t do anything productive besides manage their illness. They may feel useless and insignificant to the world around them. They must learn to love themselves without expectations.
People who endure long-suffering are in all of our lives. Let’s make sure we walk alongside them with the love and support they deserve.
