Coping With Chronic Illness - Cultivate Other Interests

Do Not Eat, Breathe, and Sleep Your Illness

It is a very tricky balance to find.  Too little interest in my illness can mean I’m in denial of reality and that can be detrimental to my health and healing.  But focusing too much on my illness can cause feelings of depression, anger, hopelessness, worthlessness, and ultimately giving up / despair.   It can sink me even further into my illness.  It can also push others away.

So, for me the key is to diversify.  I try to be interested in my illness intensely but not exclusively.  This illness is a big part of my life.  But it is not the only part of my life.  It affects me deeply, but it is not the only thing that affects me.   It shapes who I am, but it is not the only thing that shapes me.  It is important to live congenially with my illness, not pushing beyond my limits, keeping in mind the requirements of my health.  It is equally important to engage my mind and heart in better things.  So, here are some of the "other things" I engage myself in.

Energy Economy - Food Part 2

 

Because food can be such an issue when you are chronically ill it is good to simplify things as much as possible.  In Part 1 – we went over four basic suggestions that can simplify the process of nourishing ourselves.  These five more suggestions are slightly more advanced. 

•  Cook sitting down.  I mean, gather all of your utensils, plates, ingredients, pans, cutting boards, etc… and do all the prep and cooking sit down.  I can’t stand for longer than about two minutes.  So this is the only way I am ever able to cook – even just an omelet.  I’m also less tired afterward.
•  

List Of Easy Foods I Can Get In Five Minutes

 

List of easy foods I can get in five minutes.

This is just my personal list.  I have food allergies, so your list may look very different.  (See Energy Economy - Food Part 1 for the reason behind this post.)

A List Of Packaged Foods

Energy Economy – Lists
A list of packaged easy foods

This is just a sort of jump off point.  It’s not a comprehensive list, just a few ideas to get the ball rolling.  Try to get the healthiest versions possible of any packaged foods you choose .  (See Energy Economy - Food Part 1 for the reason behind this post.)

Energy Economy - Food Part 1

We have to eat.  We cannot fight our illness without energy.  Food is energy.  However, getting the food to our mouths may be difficult.  In the past year I have been completely bedridden, requiring all my meals to be brought to me.  Then I improved to eating what somebody else prepared but in the kitchen rather than my bed.  Then I progressed to being able to get very simple, basic meals for myself (we’re talking things like a ham sandwich or boiled eggs).

In the next two Energy Economy posts I will list some practical suggestions that either I or people I know implement to make eating more doable.  

• Keep snacks by your bed, especially if you are bed ridden, or wherever you spend the most time.  Some Ideas for non- perishable snacks are:  Dried fruit and nuts, granola or fruit bars, peanut or almond butter, and crackers.

• Make a list of very easy, simple foods you can get in about five minutes.  I’m talking basics like PBJ, ham sandwich, eggs, can of soup, smoothies, etc…  You can see my personal list of easy five minute foods here and here.  You can also do searches on google, bing, or pinterest.  You’ll find some good ideas.  I find that I need the list as a reminder.

Coping With Chronic Illness - Knowledge Is Power

Knowledge Is Power

My first reaction to becoming seriously ill was to bury my head in the sand and hope that when I looked up again things would magically have improved.   This was not an effective coping mechanism. 

Ignorance does not help us heal.  Instead it keeps us scared and immobilized and, simultaneously, in a pattern of doing more damage to ourselves.. I have learned that knowledge really is powerful.  

Learning as much as possible about your illness can:

Coping With Chronic Illness - It's OK To Grieve Your Losses

It’s OK To Grieve Your Losses

They say when there is loss through illness it feels a lot like a death.  Although the most intense feelings of grief may come at the initial stages of illness, I find that every fresh limitation, each progression of my illness, and every relapse causes new grief. 

People who have their health may not understand what losing it really entails.  What is really lost when your health is lost?

Hello and Welcome!

Hello and Welcome!

My name is Laina.  I am 20- something, short, blond haired, and blue eyed.  I have the normal interests of any 20/30 something young woman.  I am also in my 15^th year coping with a debilitating autoimmune disease, which I have had since age 14.  

I love to write.  But, unfortunately, they say to write about what you know.  This illness is what I know.  Mostly, I want somewhere to jot down and remember the lessons I have learned over the years and secrets I have discovered that help me cope.  I tend to be forgetful.  So this is to take the place of my memory.