How to Cope with an Invisible Disease

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Work with your illness.

   Your illness may make it difficult to do every activity that you want to do.
   
   This doesn’t mean that you can't spend time with your family or friends.
   
   Find things to do with your family and friends that work with your illness.For example, you may not be able to go hiking or walk around a busy city all day due to your chronic pain.
   
   Instead, you can go on a sightseeing bus or boat tour, spend the day at a lake picnicking or fishing, or arrange a day at home where you play board games.
   
   Ask your family and friends, “Can we do something different? My illness won’t allow me to do what you’ve planned, but we can do something else and have a good time.”
2. 2

   Step 2: Surround yourself with supportive people.

   There will be people in your life who will support you and those who will always be negative about your condition.
   
   Try to distance yourself from those in your life who are not supportive.
   
   Instead, spend time with those who understand your condition and still treat you like a person.You have limited energy and emotional resources.
   
   You want to make sure you are placing your time and energy on people who are worth it.
   
   For example, if you have chronic fatigue syndrome, people may not support you because it is a condition with symptoms they cannot see.
   
   CFS leaves you feeling drained and tired much of the time, so you don't want to waste your energy on people who are not supportive of you and your condition. , Try to find happiness around you.
   
   You may feel negative or down due to your illness, but focusing on small things that make you happy can help you cope.
   
   Think about what makes you happy.
   
   Cultivate those interests and find ways to include those things in your life.For example, if you love to read but have MS, you may want to try large-print books or audiobooks if you get fatigued when reading.
   
   If you used to play a musical instrument but have a neurological disease, spend time listening to music.
   
   Your illness may require you to readjust the way you think and do things.
   
   If you think outside of the box and more positively, you will be able to figure out ways to bring happiness into your life. , For people with invisible illnesses, getting out of the house and being active can be very difficult.
   
   Though you would love to go to every dinner or party you are invited to, that is not always an option.
   
   Discuss with your loved ones that you have limits and that you would like them to respect those limits.For example, you may only be able to attend one dinner a month or one every six months due to chronic fatigue syndrome, MS, or depression.
   
   Let your loved ones know that doesn’t mean you don’t care about them.
   
   Tell your loved ones that it is helpful for them to say things like, “I will invite you to these engagements, but you don’t have to attend.
   
   I will be happy when you do come, but there is no pressure.
   
   I understand your limits.” , You may experience times when you need to ask for help.
   
   You have limited energy and may not be able to get everything done each day.
   
   If this is the case, you may want to ask your loved ones for help with small things.For example, if a friend or family member is going to the grocery store, you may want to ask them to pick you up a few things.
   
   If you live with others, you might ask them to do a load of laundry or load the dishwasher on days when you have limited energy.
3. 3

   Step 3: Find ways to focus on the happy things.

4. 4

   Step 4: Ask your loved ones to be understanding about your limits.

5. 5

   Step 5: Ask for help.

Detailed Guide

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