Anatomy of Chronic Illness

Illness can really cause one’s mood to be adversely impacted.  As a therapist it is interesting to deal with people who are living with chronic conditions as one gets a different perspective of how much more difficult life can be!  All of us have had to deal with things like colds, flu and headaches but chronic conditions are so different. To wake up every day and realize today will bring the same struggles as yesterday would be terribly depressing!  What is interesting is that most people don’t consider addiction to be one of those chronic conditions, yet each is!  Chronic conditions can be controlled but not cured.

So what can one do to manage a chronic condition?  It depends on the condition but with all of these it is important to eat healthy, exercise and get plenty of rest.  Beyond that it is important to have a clear understanding of your illness, to be able to recognize the changes in symptoms and have a willingness to do whatever it takes to feel better!

The shifts in mood from chronic conditions will often impact motivation and energy. Without these two traits present people have a tendency to avoid dealing with their conditions which tends to make their situation worse.  The resultant repeating pattern itself can end up creating more problems for the person!  Chronic conditions are just that – chronic!

“Each patient carries his own doctor inside him.” ― Norman Cousins