Part 3 - Friendship Is A Basic Human Need (10 Ways To Be A Good Friend When Chronically Ill)

Initiate contact when you can.

It is just as important to be a good friend as it is to have a good friend.  But having a chronic illness can make this difficult for us.
It’s important to be the sort of friend you want to have – loyal, trustworthy, empathetic, supportive. 
 But, we are talking about something more focused and basic today.  We are talking about how to keep up social contacts and friendships while coping with serious illness.
It is easy (at least for me, both an introvert and chronically ill) to isolate myself and make other people do all the work of keeping in contact.  But, to be a good friend I have to do my share.  So this is my plan of action.  It is good at various stages of illness.

Plan to be a good friend while chronically ill:

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.

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.)