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Healthy Living With Chronic Illness — by Catherine Morgan
Living with chronic illness isn’t easy, it takes a combination of hard work, medical attention, emotional support, and a will to carry on. Here are a few important tips that can help you be all you can be, even with chronic illness.
Eat a healthy diet. Even a person that does not suffer from chronic illness should consider eating a healthy diet. These days we put so much processed foods, so much sugar, and so much fat in our bodies…it’s really a wonder we are not all suffering from some sort of illness.
But if you are already suffering from chronic illness, it is even more important to cut these “bad” foods out of your diet. Instead of eating processed foods full of chemicals, sodium, and artificial flavors…make a conscious choice to choose healthy foods for yourself.
This is a helpful post on eating a healthy diet…Eating Healthy Won’t Cure CFS, But Not Eating Healthy Will Make It Worse.
Another important aspect of wellness is exercise. But when you have a chronic illness, exercise can be a very tricky thing. Try to find an exercise regimen that is right for you, not what is right for other people. Start small, and don’t over do it.
This is a post that might be helpful…Exercise and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Your treatment…Anyone suffering with chronic illness needs to have a doctor or medical practitioner that they can trust and that is willing to work closely with them regarding their (many times) fluctuating condition. I find it is often helpful to work with both conventional medicine as well as alternative modalities, and many medical doctors will work with you to integrate alternative modalities into your treatment plan.
Here are some helpful posts about diagnosis, treatment, and finding a good doctor…
What you should do if you think you have CFS.
Why you should Rate Your Doctor.
Keeping a Medical Journal.
Tips for Living With CFS.
Hope. Just as important as treating your physical symptoms, you need to give equal attention to your emotional symptoms. This is not only treating any depression or anxiety you may have because of your illness, but also maintaining a positive outlook on your life. It’s easy to think that just because you can’t do the same things you use to be able to do, that life will never be fulfilling. But, that is just not true.
Life may be different, but it can still be fulfilling and rewarding. It is possible to still be happy and have a chronic illness. The most important thing is to never give up hope…
Redefining Yourself From Healthy and Successful, to Successfully Living With Chronic Illness.
Coping with Loneliness.
UPDATED INFORMATION: I was checking out a site that I recently added to my blogroll – BrianFoggles. She had a post about an organization called “Disabled Online Users Association“, I was curious to see what this organization was all about. I was pleasantly surprised that this is an organization devoted to helping disabled people find work through online auctioning (such as Ebay). For some people with disabling chronic illness, having an opportunity to feel productive and make a living can be the difference between hopelessness and happiness. This organization is one example of a way someone can facilitate a profitable online business, even when they are chronically ill.
I am sure there are many other similar organizations and/or opportunities such as this one. I will do some more research and try to organize a list in the near future of other similar opportunities. (if you are aware of one, let me know in comments.)
