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Updated 11 months ago,May 29, 2024
I have experienced chronic pain since I can remember.
Turns out, I had two conditions in the autoinflammatory family.
The Fibro made me feel weak, and the HS made me feel unlovable.
God & Man
Naturally, I found myself questioning my worth.
Realize that people arent as worried about you as you think.
People are worried about their own problems, and they dont have time for yours.
Wish them well and keep it moving.
But otherwise, dont show up worried about what people are going to think about from the get-go.
Feeling good about how you look stems from feeling good about your daily choices.
Having a chronic illness often means you have to take extra care of yourself.
Take note of what makes you feel better or worse and develop the habits you better thrive.
Accept this is a part of who you are.
Repetition is key here because on those flair-up days it will get extra hard.
Remind yourself every single day until you know it to be true.
Believe me, peoplewillnotice.
Give your friends and family some time to adjust.
Developing a support system is extremely important.
However, your friends and family dont understand your human experience.
You probably look just fine to them, and so that is how they want to treat you.
As you go on accepting your boundaries and loving yourself as you are, so will they.
Utilize your social media by looking up hashtags related to your condition.
This will help you find community.
These are people you’re free to connect with that share your experience.
Dont compare yourself to others.
Comparison is the thief of joy.
You are a unique human being with your own set of extra special requirements.
Comparing your limitations to anyone else will only be your downfall.
Only compare yourself to the past version of you.
Whether or not your peers understand, dont feel guilty.
you gotta do what is best for your condition, and sometimes that means letting other people down.
That is totally up to you, but just know you dont owe them a thing.
Work on not apologizing for taking care of yourself.
The guilt will also subside once you practice this.
This one is simple.
You will reach a point in which you know what is good and what is bad for you.
What causes flare-ups and what eases them.
Dont trigger yourself by doing the shit you know youre not supposed to do.
Dont allow toxic people in your life.
This is really a tip for everyone.
These people will just never understand or respect you as a person.
