Share
Reframing Chronic Illness
You Don’t Have To Choose Between Your Health and Enjoying Life - Part 1 - [listener write-in] | 33
Do you experience guilt when it comes to choosing yourself?
Are you torn between expectations and ‘the way things are done’, and what you actually need?
Do you feel that living your life and avoiding flares is an either/or situation?
Are you confused by how acceptance will help you and feel resistance towards going there?
This week’s listener write-in is all about that. I talk about how the status quo of chronic illness - aka the fix, fight, reject, resist struggle - is keeping you stuck and anchored in non-acceptance, and how to get really honest with yourself as a starting point in moving through that.
Links:
Your Chronic Illness Superpower: click here to tap into the wisdom of your chronic illness and start living in the way you truly want to be living, from the day-to-day to the big dream stuff.
Highlights:
- I’d love for you to get really clear on where you’re at with that right now. Tune into your body, take some quiet time, notice what words come into your head when you think of accepting your chronic illness, and notice what happens in your body. It’ll help to do a bit of journaling on this, and if there’s anything else that you know helps you unlock some of your deeper feelings, thoughts, beliefs, do that.
- Figure out what you want acceptance to mean to you. Because you get to decide. How can you allow it to show up in your life and support you?
- Compassionately challenge all the ‘why’s’ behind the idea that because you live with chronic illness, you just have to struggle on. Are they aligned? Are they serving you?
- Much like the tale of The Struggle, the chronic illness rollercoaster does not have to be a way of life for you. Life off the rollercoaster is more about flow, steadiness, ‘slow-living’, calm, deep joy and happiness, not the saccharine sweet candy floss that’s handed to you as you whizz around at the funfair.
- Without addressing the way we live with - and the beliefs we carry about - chronic illness, as a collective and individually, a gradual worsening of symptoms, or a dis-ease of living, will be many people’s experience.
More episodes
View all episodes
5. It was never really about this, was it? | 64
30:33||Season 5, Ep. 5Learning the same lessons over and over again is all a part of this journey we call life, so why does it feel so new and surprising when it happens?!An update on my Year of Adventure, and why it's SO OK that it's not going to plan.Your Chronic Illness Superpower: click here to tap into the wisdom of your chronic illness and start living in the way you truly want to be living, from the day-to-day to the big dream stuff.4. I have a problem with productivity | 63
23:42||Season 5, Ep. 4Do I have a problem with productivity, what is ‘productivity’ anyway and why have I applied it to a part of my life that doesn’t need it? In today's episode,I explore how a dormant belief about needing to be productive has thwarted my Year of Adventure, and what I'm going to do about it.LINKS:Your Chronic Illness Superpower: click here to tap into the wisdom of your chronic illness and start living in the way you truly want to be living, from the day-to-day to the big dream stuff.A link to my Substack https://onfiguringitout.substack.com - I'd love to say hello to you over there!3. 4 lessons from going after my dreams | 62
23:58||Season 5, Ep. 3Month 1 into my year of adventure - what lessons have I learned?This is how our dreams, goals and ambitions can be healing by nature. There’s so much we can learn from going for them, but much less to learn by being afraid to try.Subscribe to my Substack On Figuring It Out - https://onfiguringitout.substack.comYour Chronic Illness Superpower: click here to tap into the wisdom of your chronic illness and start living in the way you truly want to be living, from the day-to-day to the big dream stuff.2. On picking ourselves back up...again | 61
32:01||Season 5, Ep. 2What do we do when the dreams, goals and ambitions we've been building up in our head for SO LONG, underwhelm us in reality? What does the chronic illness experience have to do with that, and how do we pick ourselves back up...again?Your Chronic Illness Superpower: click here to tap into the wisdom of your chronic illness and start living in the way you truly want to be living, from the day-to-day to the big dream stuff.My new Substack - On figuring it out - https://onfiguringitout.substack.com/1. Embracing a purposeful life alongside chronic illness | 60
31:05||Season 5, Ep. 1How do you step into your purpose, dreams and ambitions whilst living with chronic illness, in a way that heals rather than harms? Is it possible to achieve what you want in life, without having to push yourself beyond what's 'good' for you? You bet that's what I'm discussing this season, and I can't wait to get into it.Your Chronic Illness Superpower: click here to tap into the wisdom of your chronic illness and start living in the way you truly want to be living, from the day-to-day to the big dream stuff.BONUS: You're already doing it | 59
40:38|Listen in as I explore the concept of recognising and celebrating the progress and achievements we've made in our lives, even when it feels like we're not where we want to be yet. Sharing my personal experience with chronic illness and how it taught me the importance of acceptance and surrender, I highlight that the difference in my mindset and approach to life came not from the manifestation of my illness but from changing the way I thought about, felt about, and treated myself.Your Chronic Illness Superpower: click here to tap into the wisdom of your chronic illness and start living in the way you truly want to be living, from the day-to-day to the big dream stuff.BONUS: Can Living With Chronic Illness Actually Strengthen Your Relationships? | 58
17:06|It can be really easy to see chronic illness as a ‘but’ in your relationship, something without which your relationship would be much better. But, as my view stands on most things chronic illness, there’s space to see things another way.I think chronic illness in relationships has the power to be a really positive force in your relationships, and today, I'm discussing why.Your Chronic Illness Superpower: click here to tap into the wisdom of your chronic illness and start living in the way you truly want to be living, from the day-to-day to the big dream stuff.BONUS: From Adversity to Advocacy - My Journey to Becoming a Chronic Illness Coach |57
16:05|So you’ve heard about chronic illness coaching, but you’re not sure what it is, whether you want or need it, or how it will actually help you.One thing you’ve likely realised as you’re here, is that living with chronic illness changes you and you want help, guidance and support with navigating your way through that.Your Chronic Illness Superpower: click here to tap into the wisdom of your chronic illness and start living in the way you truly want to be living, from the day-to-day to the big dream stuff.BONUS: 7 Insightful Tips to Support Your Access to Work Application |56
17:47|I recently met Emma in Ruth Poundwhite’s membership, The Soulful Sales Society*. In her intro post she mentioned about having recently been awarded Access to Work. In short, Access to Work is a UK government grant, designed to help those with disabilities, physical or mental health conditions, or neuro-divergence either get or stay in work by providing the funding you need to access support.In this episode, I talk to Emma Cossey about her Access to Work application and how this support has helped her in running a business.If you want to find out more about Emma, check out her links below;Website - freelancelifestyle.co.ukInstagram - @emmacosseyThe Freelance Lifestyle facebook group*A quick heads up that this post might contain affiliate links, meaning I’ll receive a small commission on anything you buy through those links, at no extra cost to you. All affiliate links will be marked with an asterisk*.Your Chronic Illness Superpower: click here to tap into the wisdom of your chronic illness and start living in the way you truly want to be living, from the day-to-day to the big dream stuff.