By: Nikole Sweeney

The number one thing to realize when coping with a chronic illness is that your condition does not make you who you are. You make you who you are and no matter how much you scream, cry, or wallow in self-pity it’s not going to go away. Of course, you’re going to have days where you’ve had enough, but think of the days where you can’t get enough. It is easy to sit and ask why me, but there is a reason for everything. For me, having a chronic illness has occasionally brought out the worst in me, but it has brought out ten times as much good. Being an underdog pushes me that much harder to follow my dreams and most of all listen to my heart. So hear are some things that I have learned and what has helped me.

SET GOALS

By setting goals you give yourself something to work toward and achieve. By accomplishing your goals you will gain confidence in what you are able to do and become more aware of your true abilities. Remember to make your goals realistic. Don’t set them to high or to low because you can count on disappointment either way. Also, allow room for adjustments because different days call for different battles.

ENJOY THE GOOD TIMES

Be grateful for what you have and live in the moment. You cannot predict what will happen in 5 minutes let alone what your life will be like in 5 years. So don’t! I went thru a period when I was feeling good and instead of enjoying it. I would anticipate the next time I would feel bad and ultimately times that should have been filled with good memories are instead filled with fear and worry. So cherish the good days and on really bad days focus on the all the good ones.

TALK TO SOMEONE

Don’t do it alone. Let your family and friends know how you are feeling and let them help you. Connect with others who are in similar situations because they may better understand where you are coming from and may be able to provide useful information. Most importantly don’t be to embarrassed to seek professional help if you need to.

RESPECT

Have enough respect for yourself and others to handle yourself in an appropriate manner. No one wants to be around someone who is bitter and has a negative attitude. If you do find that you have over stepped your bounds a little and hurt someone’s feelings during a moment of frustration, do the right thing. Apologize because not only are you admitting your mistake you are letting that person(s) know that you didn’t really mean how you acted toward them. I know through personal experience and while I’m not proud of it I did learn from it.

STAY POSITIVE

While it is easy to focus on the negative aspects of any bad situation, it will only make it worse. A positive outlook will get you a lot farther than a negative one and will not only help you emotionally, but also physically.

I hope you have found at least one of the things I have said helpful. I ask that if you remember nothing else remember this. The most important things are to smile, be happy, and laugh even at yourself. Your life is yours to live and yours to let slip away. As said by Patricia Neal: “A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug”.