Coping With Chronic Illness

What is a Chronic Illness? 

For any illness to be considered as 'chronic' it needs to continue for at least 3 months or longer. These illnesses can get worse with time. Although curing the disease is not possible, it can be controlled and managed. During this time you may need ongoing medical attention or you may have difficulties carrying out your everyday routines like getting dressed or going to the bathroom. When these situations become difficult for you, they also impact your family members too. Chronic illnesses are usually seen in adults and older adults; however, they can also be seen in younger people as well. Some of the most commonly seen chronic illnesses are cancer, coronary heart diseases, vascular diseases, blood pressure issues, respiratory tract diseases, paralysis due to anneurisms, obesity, diabetes, and rheumatiod arthritis.

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Why is Coping with Chronic Ilnness so Difficult?

If you have an acute illness for some time, like bronchitis or the flu, you know that you will get better within a short period of time (10-15 days); however, this is not valid for chronic illnesses. Chronic illnesses may not be cured 100% and can influence your life negatively in many aspects.

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What are Some of the Effects of Chronic Illnesses? 

Chronic illnesses have illness based symptoms; however, in addition, there are invisible symptoms that can only be felt like pain, fatigue, and mood disorders. Pain and fatigue may take up a great portion of your day. In addition to dealing with your illness, you also have to take care of yourself like taking your medication, exercising. Closely monitoring these situations can be stressful.

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As a result of your illness, physical changes may occur and this may impact your appearance which can turn a positive self-image negative. When you do not feel well, you may isolate and distance yourself from your friends and social activities. People with chronic illnesses may frequently experience mood disorders like depression and anxiety; however, they are treatable.

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Your chronic illness may impede your work abilities. For example, in the morning if you have woken up with a stiff body or have mobility issues or any other physical impairment, then you will need to make adaptive changes to your work in order to cope with these symptoms. If you are working from home, you may require extra time to complete what you are doing. You may need to ask for additional help frequently from your spouse, relative, or caregiver at home. As your life changes, you may feel a sense of losing control, anxiety, and uncertainties regarding the future.

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When Should I Seek Out Support for Coping With My Chronic Illness? 

If you are experiencing one of more of the situations listed below, then you might want to consider seeking out support.​

• Anxiety regarding the future 

• Anxiety regarding the uncertainty of your disease progression 

• Special need due to impairment 

• Financial problems 

• Anger and difficulty in your relationships 

• Anxiety, tension, sadness 

• Loss of interest towards the things you once enjoyed 

• Disruption in your sleep cycle and patterns  

• Fatigue 

• Bodily pain, including headaches 

• Cognitive problems 

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How can I Improve My Life if I Have a Chronic Illness?

The most important step to take here is to seek out help, especially when you are having trouble managing your illness. Taking action early not only allows you to gain a better understanding of your chronic disease but also will help you cope better. Learning how to deal with stress will help you develop a more positive perspective physically, emotionally, and spiritually. For example, when you seek out help from a mental health professional who has specialized in this field, you will be able to create an individual treatment plan based on your needs, regain the control you felt you have lost, and increase your quality of life. However, there are things that you can do on your own as well, like

•  Eating healthy 

• Engage in physical activity/exercise when possible 

• Stay away from using alcohol and drugs as a coping method 

• Discover stress coping methods like meditation.

• Stop doing the things you do not want to or do not have to 

• Not shying back from asking for help when you need it

• Remain in contact with your friends and family.

 

What Type of Help is Available for Dealing with Chronic Disease? 

To deal with the stress associated with your chronic disease, there are support options like individual therapy, support groups, couples therapy, and MFT.

• Support Groups are actually very beneficial in terms of sharing experiences. They provide an environment where you can learn about the coping methods people with the same chronic illness use. Here, you can also share your own methods and experiences. This way, you will have the chance to see that you are not alone in this situation.

• In some situations, sometimes people are more comfortable sharing their experiences in an environment where individual counseling is offered. When you seek out individual counseling, you will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with your therapist where you can share difficult and special feelings associated with your illness and talk about how your illness has impacted your life and relationships.  

• Chronic illnesses usually impact the family unit. If this is the situation, then finding an experienced professional in couples, marriage and family therapy is extremely important.