You Are Not Alone: Being a University Student With Chronic Pain
A car accident changed my life forever — 5 tips for getting through uni with a chronic illness
I remember waking up, disoriented and dizzy, to everything moving in slow motion. When I was 12, my family and I were in a car accident and it changed my life forever.
My injuries left me with chronic back, neck and shoulder pain. (‘Chronic pain’ is pain that persists for longer than 3–6 months and 1 in 5 Canadians live with it. That’s about 7,400,000 people!)
But despite my challenges, this year I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction, a Certificate in Interdisciplinary Leadership Studies, a Research in Arts Certificate, and real world work experience.
And so can you.
Most people assume that the car accident changed my life in a negative way. And even though it was an extremely difficult time for my family and me, it actually gave me a purpose in life.
After living with chronic pain for 11 years, I know that I want to spend the rest of my life helping others who live with chronic pain.
Growing up with chronic pain was challenging. I went through the same struggles that a healthy teenager goes through while also having to learn very quickly how to live my life with chronic pain.
I’ll be honest — my pain often makes it difficult to get through the day. But you can’t always see that.
One of the most frustrating things about having chronic pain is that it is often stigmatized because it is not physically visible. It is difficult for people to understand why some days I look completely fine and then the next I can’t even get out of bed to dress myself.
Right now, I would describe my pain as manageable — I am in pain everyday, but I’ve also adjusted my life to a new ‘normal’. I deal with the flare-ups as they come, which are unfortunately still quite often.
Sitting for longer than 30 minutes at a time makes my pain flare-up, so all those lectures in university were a challenge to get through. As you may already know or will soon find out, university is not a piece of cake. Being in constant pain does not make it any easier.
Midterms and finals were the absolute worst for me because the stress caused excruciating pain, making it difficult to focus. Exam time had me covered in heating pads, attending multiple physiotherapy, acupuncture, and massage appointments, taking pain medication, and struggling to focus.
There were times when my neck pain was so severe that it was difficult for my neck to support the weight of my head.
But, I would push through the pain every exam period, then let my body recuperate afterwards because I was determined to reach my goals.
The most important thing I learned at university is that it is imperative to find something you are passionate about.
I have known since high school that I wanted to be a psychologist, but it wasn’t until the end of my second year of university that I realized exactly what I wanted to do. I was sitting in a developmental psychology class, learning about child development when it suddenly hit me.
I’ve spent half of my life living with chronic pain — I should be a clinical psychologist for children and adolescents who live with it as well.
Ever since then I have been moving full speed ahead, preparing to pursue a clinical psychology degree. I even got the chance to work for Alberta Health Services and build my skills through the Arts Work Experience program.
Honestly, this internship was one of the best things I did during my degree. It was such a great experience to learn things in the field and I think it’s given me a really strong advantage going into graduate school.
And, since I wasn’t taking classes during my internship, it gave me a chance to reflect on my university experience up to that point and engage in a lot of things I couldn’t normally do during the busy school year. Totally a win-win situation!
But most importantly, my experience in AWE reaffirmed the importance of finding something that you wake up excited about every day and are able to put everything you have into. Because no matter how smart you are, no matter what you’re dealing with and how much you prepare, university is challenging.
I won’t sugar coat it — living with chronic pain is not easy. Some days it can even be a struggle to get out of bed. But because of that car accident and living with chronic pain, I have learned to persevere when things get hard. I know that in times of adversity, you must push forward and do your best no matter the circumstances.
I control my pain; my pain doesn’t control me.
Here‘s what you need to know to deal with a chronic illness in University :
1. Seriously, it’s okay to ask for help.
Don’t be afraid to ask your professors, advisors, or your friends and family for help. You don’t have to go through it alone! One thing I didn’t use enough during my university degree was Accessibility Resources. They would’ve helped me through some really difficult times and I let my pride get in the way. I didn’t want my pain to control me — but sometimes you really do need to ask for help.
2. Schedule in extra time for everything.
Chronic pain forces me to take lots of breaks. When I started to schedule in those breaks as well as everything I was doing, it made a huge difference. It’s important not do things for too long at a time because it can stress your body out and university is stressful enough already!
3. Self-care is so important.
Dealing with university is difficult and it’s important for everyone, not just people with chronic illnesses and chronic pain, to make sure you take time for yourself. Scheduling in time for myself reminded me that it was a necessary part of my routine.
4. Don’t procrastinate.
Look, I know everyone says this. But for someone who is dealing with a chronic condition it’s incredibly important not to procrastinate. If everything builds up, then you end up doing everything at once. Do it in advance instead. Stress makes the pain and illness worse. Let’s not allow it to get to that point!
5. Own it.
If you have a chronic condition, it is a part of who you are. It may suck having to live with it but don’t let it get the best of you! Find ways to be proud of who you are and work through the difficult things you have to deal with. In my case I’m making a career out of it so I can help other people who are going through the same thing I’m going through.
If you’re a student dealing with chronic pain and want someone to talk to, feel free to reach out to me!
Good luck, thanks for listening to my story and I wish you all the best.
