6 ways to feel more in control during a chronic illness flare
If you’re living with a chronic illness, you know that sometimes it feels like you’ve lost all control over your body, your mind, your happiness, & essentially your life. When the illness flares, it feels like all hope is lost. You might stay in bed all day, pining over a healthy and energy filled life that you certainly aren’t living right now. You might cry all day & night because the depression is real, or you might just sit there not knowing what to do because everything hurts and you feel like $hit.
I’m there with you. I’ve done all of the above. The truth is, while we don’t actually have much control over most things in life, there are ways in which we can empower ourselves to feel more like we are commanding the ship. Doing so can make us feel better about any situation that we feel is out of our control. I’ve found that a chronic illness flare is that type of sitch. So, I’m sharing a list of 6 things we can all do during a flare that can help us feel a little more in control of our own body & the disease we’ve been diagnosed with.
Reach out to your doc: this might be obvious, but not all of us are inclined to call the doctor’s office when we don’t feel good. If you’re like me, you might wait a few days to see if the flare will calm on its own. That’s not the best move. By picking up your phone and chatting with your health team, you take control of the recovery process.
Take inventory of meds or other alternatives: whatever medication you are on, it’s part of your health maintenance. You’ve been prescribed it for a reason, & that reason is to keep you feeling good. By making sure you know what you’re taking, why you’re taking it, & even dosing it out (those pill containers are amazing!), you can feel more in control of what you’re putting into your body & how you’re maintaining your illness. If you are not on medication, take inventory of the other things that you use — like ginger tea, your portable infrared sauna, turmeric, or CBD oil. Take time to locate all of these things in your home & understand how they help you feel better. Knowledge is power.
Make a list of things that helped you last time: no matter how big or small, everything that makes you feel better is IMPORTANT. It counts. Write the list so you know exactly what you can turn to when your illness acts up.
Do those things! You have the tools necessary to help ease the flare, whether it’s very temporary (like drinking that cup of hot cocoa because YUM) or has longer lasting therapeutic effects (steroid IV drip, holla!). An active stance to overcoming your flare is something you can control by making the choice to do so.
Write a letter to [insert diagnosis here]: does this sound silly to you? It might, but here’s why it’s a great way to feel more empowered. By personifying your illness & externalizing your feelings about it onto a piece of paper, you’re really able to separate YOU from SICK. You are not your illness. Your illness is a big part of you, but it does not define you solely. By writing a letter to it, you take your power back. You can call it out, call it names, tell it how angry/frustrated/sad/disappointed/in pain/nauseous/bloated/fatigued (I could go on & on) you are. & then you can tell it exactly what you’re going to do to overcome its flare (#3 & #4 comin’ in handy!). YOU are in control, not the illness. So take that, [diagnosis].
Meditate: by meditate, I really mean do something as simple as sit & focus on your breath. Breathe in, hold, breathe out. You have 100% control over your inhales & exhales. Reminding yourself of this can help combat the hopelessness & feeling of loss of control.
I’ll say it again, you are NOT your illness. You have the power to take a proactive stance during a flare, whether it lasts one day or 3 months. By doing little things like i’ve mentioned above, you can start to feel more like yourself again. Remember, the universe only gives us battles it knows we can win. So use your tools, stay focused on healing, & know that you can ALWAYS reach out to me for a little extra support.
We’re in this together!