What is a chronic illness?

Chronic illnesses are long-lasting, often lasting a year or more. You may also have a need for ongoing medical care and difficulties doing the things you need to do every day. These behaviors, called activities of daily living, include things like using the toilet and getting dressed. These difficulties can also affect your family. Examples of chronic diseases include diabetes and chronic lung disease, such as COPD.

Why is coping with a chronic illness so hard?

When you have an acute illness like bronchitis or the flu, you know you'll be feeling much better in a short time and that you'll get back to normal. Not so with a chronic illness. It may never go away and can cause disruptions in your life in many ways.

What are some of the effects of a chronic illness?

Chronic illnesses, of course, have disease-specific symptoms, but may also have invisible symptoms like pain, fatigue, and mood disorders. Pain and fatigue may become a frequent part of your day. Along with your illness, you probably have certain things you have to do to take care of yourself, such as take medicine or do exercises. Keeping up with your health management tasks might also cause stress.

Physical changes from a disease may alter your appearance. These changes can transform a positive self-image into a poor one. When you do not feel good about yourself, you may withdraw from friends and social activities. Mood disorders such as depression and anxiety are common complaints of people with chronic conditions, but they're extremely treatable.

In a larger scheme of things, chronic illness affects working. You may need to adapt your working in many ways to accommodate your situation of having stiffness and decrease motion amongst many more physical limitations in the mornings. If you can not work, you could struggle financially.

If you are a homemaker, then it will take much longer to do the work. You will have to ask your spouse, a relative, or a home healthcare provider for assistance. As you undergo life changes, you may lose control, experience anxiety, and be uncertain about the future. In some families, people who had stayed at home must return to work.

Stress can accumulate and can mold your perceptions of life. Prolonged stress can cause frustration, anger, hopelessness, and, sometimes, depression. This can happen not only to you but also to your family members. They are also affected by the chronic health issues of a loved one.

How soon should I seek help for my chronic illness?

The following is a checklist of the sources and signals of stress that you may experience with chronic illness. Seek help from a mental health provider as early as possible to help you understand and cope with your illness better.

Your sources of stress:

• Chronic illness.
• Uncertainty about the future.
• Unpredictability of the disease.
• Financial difficulties.

Stress symptoms:

• Irritability and difficulty in relationships.
• Anxiety, tension, sadness.
• Loss of interest in things you once enjoyed.
• Disturbed sleep.
• Body aches and pains, including headaches.
• Cognitive issues.

If I have a chronic illness, how can I make my life better?

The most significant action you can take is when you are least able to cope, that is, get help immediately. Early intervention will assist you in coping with many effects of chronic illness. You'll learn to manage stress better and live with a healthy physical, emotional, and spiritual view of life.

If you request help from a mental health provider, then both of you can jointly work to design a treatment plan for your needs. Such strategies can help you regain a sense of control over your life, something everybody deserves. You have every right to good quality living. If depression has really affected you, then a medical professional may prescribe you with drugs that would bring regulation in your mood to feel better.

Of course, there are things you can do on your own that will help. These include tips such as:

• Eating a healthy diet.
• Getting as much physical activity as you can.
• Avoiding negative coping mechanisms like alcohol and substance abuse.
• Exploring stress-relief activities like meditation.
• Letting go of obligations that you don't really need to do or want to do.
• Asking for help when you need it.
• Staying in touch with family and friends.

What is the help that is available to a person with chronic illness?

You can seek help with stress due to a chronic illness. Counseling options include support groups, individual counseling and/or family and couples counseling.

Support groups

Support groups are a helpful sharing experience. It is an environment from which you learn new ways of dealing with your illness from others' coping strategies. You may even want to share your own approaches, too. You will know that you're not facing hardships alone. These groups can often be found by contacting a nonprofit organization dedicated to your specific disease.

Individual counseling

At other times, the issues that plague people may be better worked through in an individual setting. Participation in individual counseling may allow you to convey sensitive or private feelings that you may have concerning your illness and the impact that it has had on your lifestyle and your relationships. There is a subgroup of certified of mental health professionals who receive intense training on how to manage chronic illnesses.

Family and couples counseling

A chronic illness often impacts the family unit. In such cases, it is vital to find a family or couples-trained mental health provider.

To seek an expert consultation

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