It’s Time To Take Control

“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.” – Marie Curie

How much time do you spend fearing what the future will bring? Having a chronic illness makes the future hard for us to look at sometimes. Do you find yourself often depressed or paralyzed with fear afraid to move forward in your life because you think your illness will get in the way?

The intermittency of chronic illness sometimes makes it difficult to plan the future. We know that on some days we can do some things, and on other days we can do nothing. What will this future date bring? We don’t want to let friends and family members down by making plans that we cannot follow through on. Sometimes we wind up not making plans at all.

As I look back early in my illness, nothing seemed to fit. I knew nothing about what was wrong with me, and so every step I made seemed to cause every symptom that I felt. It is only now with a greater understanding of my illness, that I have been able to “live life” and give myself the best chances to succeed on a given day.

How do I do this? By taking control and learning all I can about my illness. By understanding what the causes of my symptoms are, and the triggers and avoiding those particular situations. By trying to keep stressers under control, and allowing myself to rest. By always remembering to take my medication, whether it is a good day or a bad day, because consistency will help with my symptoms. By eating good fresh and healthy food that my body finds easy to digest and that gives me needed vitamins and energy.

Your knowledge of your illness, your self care, and nourishing your spirit, are your ticket to a new life. By finding your own groove, your personal healthy pattern, you will be able to step forward in your life a stronger and more courageous individual…. An individual who can share with the world, from your own experience.

(c) 2005 – Frannie Rose