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According to the CDC, 6 in 10 Americans currently live with a chronic illness. For some, receiving a diagnosis of a chronic illness comes with a sense of relief. You finally have a name for the condition that is causing your symptoms and can start working on treatment plans with your doctors and caregivers.
However, you may find that receiving a chronic illness diagnosis also comes as a setback. This is understandable, as many chronic illnesses limit your activity levels and may force you to redefine what success means to you.
Adapting to change can take time, but embracing proactive steps to simplify your life can help you become more resilient while you discover new passions and hobbies. Embracing your new sense of identity can help you find new ways to feel empowered and find purpose in life beyond your diagnosis.
Redefining Success
Before you became sick, you may have had big ambitions for your career, a bucketlist with goals or other traditional ideas of a successful life, like a dream wedding and owning your own home. But now that you’re living with chronic illness, chances are, not all of these plans and dreams will become reality – at least not now.
That doesn’t mean you can’t pursue meaningful goals – you just have to redefine what ‘success’ means to you. Here’s how:
- Uncover your core values: What matters most to you in life? Values like creativity, honesty, love or spiritualy can help decide how you want to spend your limited energy.
- Picture the ideal version of your current season of life: Do you long for a sense of adventure, would you love to spend more time with friends or do you prefer the contentness of a slow lifestyle with time for books, gardening and cooking? By identifying your underlying desires, it becomes easier to fulfill your wants and needs in a modified manner.
- Come up with doable definitions of success for yourself: being a supportive friend, working on an interesting project, focusing on personal growth or contributing to a better world in your own little way. And let’s not forget achievements like being able to walk a certain distance or cook your own meals again!
- Learn how to set realistic goals: What can actually achieve, even when flare-ups and hospital visits make your daily life unpredictable? Give your old dreams a more doable spin, breakdown big goals into small actions, and adjust your timeframe. When you’re pursuing your dreams, focus on creating an achievable dialy rhythm that you can easily adapt, instead of ticking to a tight deadline.
Success may look different now that you’re ill, but with some creativity, support and practical tips, you can still achieve goals and find meaning in life.
Simplifying Your Life
If you’ve recently been diagnosed with a chronic illness, you should consider simplifying your life to minimize stress. Simplifying yourself helps you focus on what matters to you and can give you a sense of control over the situation, too. This can be deeply empowering if you’ve been living with an undiagnosed chronic illness for some time. Easy steps you can take to simplify your life include:
- Prioritize: You may find that chronic illness saps your energy quicker than you’re used to. For this reason, you should attempt to prioritize a few things that mean the most to you.
- Set Rules: Ironically, rules can give you a sense of control following your diagnosis. Start with simple, medically informed rules about your diet, sleep pattern, and clothing to simplify your life.
- Pace Yourself: Anyone can get burnt out when trying to overachieve in every element of life. Rather than exceeding your capacity, work within yourself and slowly tick off your responsibilities.
- Set Boundaries: Setting boundaries lets folks know when you are or are not available. It also helps you check out of situations where you may grow frustrated easily. This is key for your mental and physical health.
These strategies can help you regain a sense of control and will help you redefine “success” in your own eyes. Simple strategies, like letting folks know that you need to leave gatherings after an hour or so, will ensure that you don’t become stretched thin. This can be crucial if you’re working through a chronic illness that saps your energy levels quickly.
Pursue New Interests
Doing meaningful activties that you enjoy adds meaning and purpose to your life. Sadly, pursuing your interests isn’t always easy with chronic pain and other symptoms in the mix, but it’s worth a try for your emotional wellbeing.
Explore how you can still enjoy hobbies despite your illness. What are your biggest obstacles to picking up your usual fun activities, and what can you do to overcome them? Also look into new hobbies you can do at home or even resting in bed, like listening to audiobooks, puzzles or easy crafting.
If you’re no longer able to work but still want to make a valuable contribution to the world, you can redefine what success means to you by volunteering online from the comfort of your home. You could also become a patient advocate to raise awareness for your illness, or perform acts of kindness like sending care packages or keeping a wildlife-friendly garden.
Travel can also be a great way to broaden your horizons and explore the world around you. If you’ve been diagnosed with a chronic illness, consider embracing an ethos of slow travel. Slow travel can help you immerse yourself in the places you visit and will help you get more from your time away from home. Even simple changes, like attending a farmers market instead of a guided tour, can help you move at your own pace and give you a real feel for the town or city you’re in.
Slow travel can also help reduce travel-related stress. This is key if you experience chronic stress that worsens your condition. Booking more vacation time than you necessarily need allows you to be more flexible when you arrive and will keep the trip fun. Minimizing stress when traveling helps you form a healthy vacation habit, too, as you’ll associate time away from home with fun, rest, and relaxation.
If it’s your first time traveling with a chronic illness, let your doctor know when you book a vacation. They may even be able to suggest some locations that best suit you and will be able to ensure that you are up to date with any medication or treatment plans that you may need.
Empowerment at Any Age
It’s easy to feel like the wind has been taken out of your sails when you have been diagnosed with a chronic illness. However, you aren’t your illness and can still find plenty of fulfillment in life after you learn how to adapt.
Becoming chronically ill during childhood or adolescence can have a big impact on your ability to go to school, make lasting friendships and reach milestones like getting a degree and driver’s license. That’s why you should focus on learning to cope with the rollercoaster of emotions you’re experiencing, like depression, FOMO and loneliness. Looking into practical tips on how you can still study and date with chronic illness and pursue meaningful goals, will help you to keep hope for a better future and redefine what success means to you.
Taking proactive steps to empower yourself is just as important if you are approaching your golden years while managing a chronic condition. You can empower yourself in later life by asking the right questions when you meet with your healthcare provider or caregiver. Consider quizzing them to find out which exercises are right for you and find out if you should be getting more screenings as you age. Additionally, you can use this time to notify them of any changes to your health. If you have difficulty with self-advocacy in these sessions, consider requesting the assistance of a patient advocate who can ensure that your concerns are being heard.
When researching conditions and treatment plans, be sure to avoid scams and stick with trusted providers like the National Institutes of Health, MedlinePlus, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These sites have accurate, peer-reviewed medical information and are freely available to the public.
Conclusion
Redefining success following a chronic illness diagnosis can be tricky. However, with the right mind frame and support it is possible to embrace your new identity and find joy in life.
Get the ball rolling by uncovering your core values and priorities, simplifying your lifestyle and setting clear boundaries. This will help you destress and will give folks around you a better understanding of your needs. Also consider pursuing new interests despite your illness and empower yourself at any age with emotional support, practical tips and self-advocacy.
You can find more advice to help you redefine success in ‘Your Guide to New Meaning in Life with Chronic Illness’ and ‘6 Tips to Set Realistic Goals When You’re Sick’, or check out ‘Personality and Health: How to Express Yourself Despite Limitations’.
