Coping with the Emotional Impact of Chronic Illness

Coping with the stress of everyday life is challenging enough. When these daily challenges are complicated by the impact of having a chronic condition, people experience a wide range of emotions.

Chronic Disease in a Nutshell

Chronic illness has the potential to create immense challenges to those suffering. Unlike acute illnesses, such as a cold or the flu, a chronic illness persists throughout a person’s lifetime. More so, it’s something that impacts and forever changes the lives of those diagnosed.

Chronic diseases usually fall into one of three categories:

Physical: Problems such as rheumatic diseases, cancer, diabetes, vascular issues and autoimmune diseases (Crohn’s, Lupus, Psoriasis, etc.)

Mental: Cognitive problems such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as chronic depression

Sensory: Hearing and vision loss; Macular degeneration, and tinnitus.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about half of all adults, or about 117 million people, have a chronic illness. The emotional impact depends on the severity of ones illness, the level of support from friends, family, and work environment, as well as an individuals coping style.

Basic Emotions Experienced by Patients with Chronic Illness

In fact, studies have identified eight basic emotions experienced frequently by patients with chronic illness:

1. Helplessness — Helplessness results from a loss of independence due to reduced abilities and reliance on others. Often, it may even stem from feeling helpless that they’ll never be their “normal” selves again as the condition is incurable.
2. Frustration — Reduced abilities and a loss of control over one’s life and body can all lead to extreme frustration. If you look well, outsiders may have difficulty understanding how you are feeling and coping with your limitations. Many (myself included) find themselves constantly trying to explain why some days bring pain, fatigue, and weakness, and others do not
3. Hopelessness — Chronic illness breeds hopelessness for the future due to unpredictability. Sufferers may feel there’s, “no point”, in adjusting their lifestyles as they’re doomed to a lifetime with a condition that will never go away
4. Resentment — Resentment in chronic illness can be aimed at oneself due to inabilities, at others due to abundance of abilities, at doctors who have misdiagnosed their condition or even those with intolerance to their disease.
5. Anger — Those with chronic illness may feel angry at themselves for being ill, at their bodies, and even the World or a Higher Power. Anger might be the most exhausting emotional state to be in. Your body prepares for physical conflict, your heart races, your breathing becomes shallow, your muscles tense and blood is diverted from normally essential things like digesting food. Anger can make a healthy person feel pretty sicl
6. Sadness — People with chronic illness often experience both a sadness for what they are facing and a sadness for what they have lost. The loss of ones sense of “self” precedes the natural grieving process many sufferers experience
7. Anxiety — A sense of fear and anxiety are common in chronic illness, both in terms of the present and in terms of the future
8. Stress — Physical, financial, relationship and other challenges can cause physical and emotional tension that often further aggravates chronic illness. External factors (physical symptoms, financial troubles, etc.) combine with internal factors (relationship and self-image challenges, etc.) to cause stress.

Chronic disease also creates a new identity for a person. Associating yourself with labels like ‘sick’ or ‘chronically ill’ can affect your self-esteem and self-worth.

Your emotional state is tied to your physical well-being, so taking care of your emotional health can be just as important for chronic disease management as medication and lifestyle changes.

A Personal Account

I relate to all of this deeply, as I’ve lived with multiple chronic conditions throughout my life. The most difficult emotions for me to cope with were anger, hopelessness,and frustration. Being late for things would frustrate me, but not being in control of my body is what bugged me the most. When I experienced psoriasis flare-ups, It’d take an unnecessary amount of time putting on makeup, styling my hair to conceal it and finding outfits that covered the plaques. With psoriatic arthritis flares, the whole, “moving and getting out of bed” part is what took forever. I was physically stifled and slowed down by pain and limited range of motion.

For years I had difficulty managing my anger and experienced random bouts of rage and hostility. Ultimately, I was angry with myself — my, “defective” body and not having any control over it. All the education in the world couldn’t help me until I was ready to accept my condition, take steps to take control, and to help myself. Once I discovered the “keys” and fully accepted myself, my mission in life became clear: I wanted to help others.

Managing the Emotional Outcome of Being Chronically Ill

How does one manage the emotional outcome of being sick?

For starters, you don’t wallow in self-pity and depression. You grieve, accept the cards you’re dealt, and make lifestyle changes to better manage your condition! Try not to blame others and take accountability for your emotions and disease.

Feel & Express Your Emotions: I often see arguments in favor of anger. The thinking goes like this: women and minority groups are discouraged from showing anger by the very same culture which gives us all kinds of reasons to be very angry indeed. Learning that it is okay to feel angry can be a first vital step of resistance. If negative emotions are interfering with your outlook, well-being, or day-to-day life, share your feelings with someone you trust or a clinician instead of keeping them to yourself.

Adapt, Don’t Deny: Adaptive strategies should be positive and upbeat, but they also need to be realistic and applicable to a patient’s personal situation. Surround yourself with things that inspire joy, happiness and encouragement. Positive thoughts and acceptance of a diagnosis can help ward off depression and other potential emotional and physical complications. There is a fine line between hiding behind a veneer of positivity and embracing your issues and looking at the positive. Choose the latter!

Counseling: Choosing to go for counseling and speaking with a licensed therapist is one of the healthiest things ANYONE could do for themselves! It’s a way to expose sensitive emotions and relationship issues and move towards resolving these challenges. Depression is one of the most common complications of chronic illness. One-third of those with serious chronic conditions actually experience clinical symptoms of depression (Fram, 2006).

Educate Yourself & Come Up With a Treatment Plan: Knowledge dispels “what-if” thinking, fear and anxiety. Take ownership over your disease by becoming a partner with your doctor and actively participating in your treatment plan. Find a way to talk with your doctor in an open and honest way. Don’t sit around and obsess about your condition, but educate yourself on your condition by using credible, current sources.

Adopt A Healthy Lifestyle: Take care of yourself by eating right, maintaining your appearance, getting plenty of sleep, exercising and having fun! Create a routine and set goals for yourself; accomplish a task, however small, everyday to lend stability and consistency to your life. Depression, anxiety, and similar feelings may be common in chronic illness, but they are separate from the disease, and working to reduce them can have benefits for mind and body alike. A clean, healthy diet sets the framework for a healthy mind and a healthy life.

Conclusion

Although difficult to manage, the diagnosis of a chronic illness is not a death sentence! Resistance creates even more unnecessary struggle. Life is not always fair, but it’s up to the individual to take ownership and create the life they desire.

Being diagnosed with a chronic illness has not always been a walk in the park. Yet, learning to accept, manage, and thrive despite the hand I was dealt has truly made me a better person.