One of the many parts of living with a chronic illness, is the isolation. Although it’s not something we want, it’s just another thing this wicked illness does to us, it takes away our energy, our strength and our health when we need it most. Plans made weeks in advance end up canceled as we can barely get out of bed let alone get all showered and dressed up, we don’t have the energy to fake the smile and good health that we look on the outer to others. We get the reputation of being a bad friend, when friendship is all we want, we want the outings, nights out our bodies just don’t agree.
The more we cancel, the more friends we risk losing but it is a test to see who is a true friend and who is only with you during the good not the bad.
The days are lonely and hard to fill as being productive is hard and outings seem nearly impossible. Netflix becomes a friend and you keep up with your friends via Facebook. You find yourself wanting more in life and feeling more and more isolated each day. So very much experienced in this area I felt like I would put together a list of ways to be less isolated whilst not putting yourself under strain.
- Phone calls with your friends 3-4 times a week
- Skype chats so you can stay more up to date with friends and family (more personal touch & seeing others faces will help you feel less alone)
- PJ parties/movie nights at home! No dinner prep needed just put some pop corn in the microwave. Little energy needed, if your already watching Netflix make it a group activity!
- Online games with chat. Keep your mind active whilst socializing online, make resting up more fun too!
- Enjoy each moment with friends and family, savor each moment so it lasts till your up to the next! Take photos & videos to remember each moment.
- Take vitamins and supplements to help give you more energy so you can have more time with friends
- Use a walking aid to help get out of the house for small outings at a time.
- Engage a councilor, this one is not so easy for most to open up to but rest assured having someone to talk to about everything in your life will help you. It will give you an outlet for when your down. This will help your friendships thrive if we don’t lay ALL our negatives on our friends, as this can way them down over time. I’m not saying don’t tell your friends how your feeling, just don’t ONLY give them the negatives. A councilor will help you find the positives to talk about too. Keep conversations balanced!
I hope this helps and if you have any other tips to share please leave a comment below!
INVISIBLE but STRONG 