Living with chronic illness can turn your world upside down. Everything you used to believe about yourself, about life and the way the world works may change. How can you make sense of your new identity and altered reality?
Philosophy studies the fundamental nature of existence, reality and knowledge. In a nutshell, it tries to ask and answer questions about how we should live and think. With thousands of years of wisdom from all around the world integrated into theories and practices, can philosophy teach us how to have a positive and meaningful life despite our health problems?
Have a look at these 5 existential lessons from philosophy that will change the way you live with chronic illness.
Dealing with chronic pain can be, well a pain. You are inhibited when it comes to completing everyday tasks because you don’t want to intensify the discomforts that you are already dealing with. Up to 39% of individuals coping with just back pain alone say that they can’t do the things they usually would as far as their regular routines.
There are a variety of treatment options available when it comes to chronic pain, but what you chose to do can have an impact on your life as well. Many people are turning to more unconventional, holistic methods of treatment to deal with health issues associated with pain. One of the options that a vast number of Americans are turning to for chronic pain management is chiropractic care. Discover more about how it can help you and what you can expect when you visit a chiropractor’s office for relief of your chronic pain.
The whole deal of chronic illness is that it’s a long-term thing. Normally, when you encounter a problem, you deal with it and you move on. But living with chronic illness means there is no easy fix – and sometimes no fix at all. To keep going, to make the most of each day even though you’re sick and in pain demands a lot from your emotional resilience.
But unlike our movie heroes, in real life you don’t get inspirational speeches during those moments you’re struggling to hang. So to fuel your motivation, take a look at these 12 quotes to spark your determination and persistence.
Being a good friend and having a chronic illness are not mutually exclusive. Of course not; you can still have a good time together, listen to your BFF’s adventures and share your problems. But it is harder to maintain friendships when you feel sick every day. It’s harder to be a part of their lives when you’re housebound. It’s harder to do fun things together when you have limited mobility. It can even be challenging to find common ground when your friend goes to college, builds a career, gets married and has kids while your life is on hold as a result of your chronic illness.
Much has been written about how you can support your friend in need – I recommend There’s No Good Card for This – but what about the other way around? How can you keep friendships alive when you’re the one who’s sick?
Here are some ideas to be a good friend even though you’re chronically ill.
Flicking through magazines, watching YouTube clips and browsing social media are welcome distractions when your body needs a time-out. Curling up on the couch with your latest Netflix addiction surely is entertaining, but there’s a big difference between chilling in front of the TV and real rest.
Real rest encompasses more than lying still and keeping activity to a minimum. It involves activating your body’s natural relaxation response, a state of deep rest that balances your nervous system and promotes healing.
When you feel under pressure, your body releases stress hormones, triggering your sympathetic nervous system to prepare for fight or flight. The adrenaline in your bloodstream makes your heart beat fast, quickens your breathing and tenses your muscles. That’s very helpful in dangerous situations, but unfortunately it’s also activated by everyday challenges like traffic jams and work deadlines.
Contrary to this all-too-common stress response, the relaxation response acts like a built-in tranquilizer. It stimulates your parasympathetic nervous system to slow down your heart rate and breathing, relax your muscles and boost your immunity. Research even shows that mind-body interventions that activate the relaxation response, such as yoga and meditation, can reverse harmful inflammation at DNA level.
And what’s best of all: you have the power to produce this relaxation response whenever and wherever you want.
So let’s have a look at how you can maximize your downtime with 7 powerful practices.
