How to Thrive with Chronic Illness

Chronic illness can be a real mood killer. You’re living your life one day, then the next, you are a mere shell of your old self. It is hard and frustrating. Especially when you feel like you are losing parts of yourself and literally disappearing.

You get used to canceling plans and being prepared for those days when you feel like you have been in a train wreck. It is difficult to be consistent, and it’s hard to truly show up; the worst part is that people often don’t really understand and can be easily annoyed by necessary accommodations. Some even struggle to empathize.

Eventually, you learn to manage yourself, get comfortable with alone time, and maintain things that
healthy people take for granted.

You may even have to find ways to thrive from the actual mattress you are attached to.

You want to live, feel good in your body, and get back to your day-to-day. Instead, you get used to the idea that you live with good and bad days and still love yourself regardless of what tomorrow will bring. While also fighting to accept this feeling that your body has betrayed you or seems broken in some way or another.

Chronic illness is silent, quiet, and faceless. No one really sees it, so it becomes very difficult to
understand, sympathize with, or otherwise hold space with it.

But you are not broken, and your body did not betray you. Instead, it is giving you messages. Talking with you, trying to communicate. The only way a body knows how… to speak loudly or forever hold its peace.

How to Advocate for Yourself with Chronic Illness

The truth is, you are the only one who gets it and the only one who can really support it.

Maybe you have a family that has your back, kids that help out, or a partner that steps in, but the buck will always stop with you. You are the only one who really knows what helps and what hurts and exactly how you are going to get through.

You quickly learn how to self-manage and exactly how to meander through a life and culture that has no idea how to support you. So you somehow find a way to move forward, to get through your day, but are always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Contingency plans become your best friend. As do any
therapies that bring relief, foods that don’t trigger or supplements that help, even a little…

Best Supports for Chronic Illness, of all kinds….

Not only have I managed chronic illness myself for decades, but for my clients, those precious peeps, I have dedicated my life to helping. While everyone is different and a true individual, there are certain fundamentals I have seen help 9 out of 10 people. And if you struggle with chronic illness or mystery
symptoms… maybe something here will help you too.

For someone facing symptoms from chronic illness, sleep hygiene, proper hydration (filtered water in a stainless steel or glass vessel), and regular (gentle if need be) movement will be of the utmost importance. No matter the issue that you have been dealt.

I also invite you to think about the level of joy, laughter, and goodness you currently have in your life. As well as how often you get into nature and out into the sunshine?

It seems so simple and maybe even not enough, but going back to the basics and being intentional with your energy and time will actually make the biggest difference in your management regime.

This can oftentimes prove more effective and sustainable than any medications or other prescriptions.

Best Strategies to Manage Symptoms

As someone who suffers from chronic symptoms, you need to have an awareness of the things that trigger you and the things that settle you. This is really crucial. It helps manage the chronic illness continuum that ranges from hot and heavy to barely around or even on the periphery, and how that can change on a dime.

Another thing I have noticed is that those who suffer from chronic illness are also usually sensitive souls. Often, they will be reactive to dairy, gluten, eggs, soy, seed oils, and the preservatives / colorings found in processed food. These items are notoriously inflammatory and more difficult for the body to digest or process.

Whole foods are a remedy in and of themselves. Complex carbs, fruits, veggies, leafy greens, healthy proteins… “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food,” quoted by Hippocrates, the great Greek physician known as the father of medicine. This is more important today than it has literally ever been.

So, what does this look like for you? That is the key to thriving in this. What foods, emotions, habits, cycles, people, and places blow you out or shut you down? Avoid them or give support so you are not the sacrifice. Know this like the back of your hand, and if you don’t know yet, watch, listen, track, and note so
you know!

Alternatively, what thoughts, lifestyle patterns, people, places, or events feel safe and possible to you? Use them to your greatest advantage.

Finally, pay attention to the affirmations, meditations, visualizations, and therapies that bring you relief. This is another thing to keep in mind and make accessible because once you know, you know forever.

Where to Find Local and Online Support / Community

Having a community, online or local, with people who really get it can make or break this for you. Literally, one person who relates can make all the difference in the world. The truth is that a community of people who understand can be life-saving.

It is important to keep in mind that the person facing chronic illness is likely someone who may feel a bit desperate at times for anything whatsoever to help. That can make one vulnerable, so make sure the people or community is worthy of you, and any organizations you get involved with are reputable. Listen for positive word-of-mouth suggestions and other easily accessible stories. You should also expect to be treated as an individual with unique needs. Here, your free will and personal choices should always be accepted, no matter what.

Learning to develop and trust your intuition is your best bet. That is your first key to what holds you in your highest interest and what does not. Start working on your intuition now.

Read Signs of a Highly Intuitive Person here.

EMF Support / Environmental Awareness

Environmental toxins can also prove harmful to those susceptible to chronic illness. This can range from Electromagnetic frequencies from microwaves, cell phone (towers), computers (especially laptops), smart meters, refrigerators, or other items that hold a measurable frequency. If you do nothing else about this, consider making your sleep space EMF-free by keeping your cell phones and other technology out of your bedroom at night.

Airborne pollutants, cleaning products, body care, fragrances, unfiltered water, and bleached paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, and feminine products) can intensify symptoms.

Quality air purifiers, simple, natural-based cleaning products, and body care free from synthetic chemicals and fragrance, properly filtered water, and non-bleached paper products are a great place to start. These changes will actually make tremendous shifts in your overall health picture.

Ways to Track Mystery Symptoms

There are many ways to track symptoms to gain more insight into what daily events help you or hinder you. This is extremely helpful to more clearly understand your situation.

• You can track your water intake and even record your daily pH levels.
• You can track various foods and how you feel after eating them or reintroducing them.
• You can use daily journaling to track your emotions.

Technology to Better Manage Symptoms

Not only are there apps that help you track your symptoms as described above, but there are apps that help you manage your emotions as well. Try apps for inspiration, daily affirmations, EFT tapping, meditation, breathing, and guided visualizations. All the things that can be very useful for the person inundated with chronic illness or mystery symptoms. Look for apps that have been around a while, are recommended by word of mouth, or have many positive reviews.

Wearable Devices

Wearable devices can be a useful tool to support pain, inflammation, and EMF. You will find necklaces, bracelets, stickers, magnets, and blue light blockers for your body or your EMF-emitting equipment. Just make sure that whatever devices you want to check out come from reputable companies that are backed by 3rd party validated data.

Things to Avoid with Chronic Illness

Chronic illness is not fun or easy. It can even feel like a curse at times. It’s difficult to see the good, help, or growth that stems from experiencing it. Sometimes, though, that is the only way your body can get your attention and make the changes you need for your longevity and balance. If you listen, you can literally change your life. You can help yourself develop better coping mechanisms and stress-management tools to enhance your health.

Avoiding things you know create stress for you is at the very top of the list. Start by declining events or situations that hold you in anxiety or overwhelm. If you must go, do so with protection and the strength of intention around you. Saying no is a habit you want to start sooner rather than later. Don’t let other people’s shoulds land on you. Always keep your own energy output in mind and try to save yourself for the things that feed you rather than feed off you.

Lastly, I invite you to start shifting away from ultra-processed foods, unfiltered water (especially in plastic water bottles), and chlorine-bleached paper and feminine products. Avoid commercial cleaning products, traditional body care, typical dry-cleaning chemicals, artificial fragrances, and other environmental toxins. That seems like a lot, but the outcome definitely pays off in the long run.

Things to Include with Chronic Illness

Obviously, you can’t always avoid stress, overwhelm, and other people’s expectations. Being in the habit of supporting yourself with tools you know work for you is truly lifesaving. You may not know exactly what this is at the start, but if you pay close attention, you will start to see patterns.

Do you feel less stimulated or anxious with a regular meditation practice? What about a consistent and solid morning routine that you begin to count on and feel strengthened by? Are you someone who really resonates with prayers? Then that is something you can begin to do with a keener intention and focus.

Daily affirmations and mantras are also a fabulous way to raise your vibration any time you need to shift your energy or attention. “Grounding” is another surprisingly useful way to decrease the built-up energy in your body. Just go outside and put your bare feet directly on the dirt or grass. Gratitude will change your energy, just like that. It helps everything from overwhelm to physical pain. You can start by just being grateful for the things in your life. Start with simple stuff like your family,
pets, house, job, neighborhood, etc. Then consider things like money, abundance, and your health. Sometimes this starts a little bit before you feel ready. But that is the beauty of it. This leaves space to acknowledge what you already have and appreciate what you want to have happen. Gratitude helps you keep grace and feel less desperate about your situation.

Remember, there is always something, even the teeniest thing, that we can be grateful for. You start there, that’s it, then just be willing to see where it takes you.

If your life is being affected by chronic illness, know that there is more you can do for yourself than you may realize. This doesn’t have to be big and startling. Just begin looking at your basics (sleep, food, water, etc.). Get those down and go from there.

Photo by Jill Wellington