While it might not always seem like it, people with chronic illness are dealing with more than just the pain and things that come with their illnesses. They also have to face the world around them and well, for most of us that world is not very friendly.
The world doesn’t look at people with disabilities as it should, lots of people see them as if they are just trying to play sick and get something for nothing while others assume they’re not as bad off as they are. Being judged for being disabled is all too common right now and has been for a pretty long time honestly. There will be people who try to take advantage of you because they think your illness makes you weak and there will be other people who avoid you because they just don’t understand what you’re facing.
When someone suffers from any kind of chronic illness they have to learn to be very patient and that in itself is not easy. Patience is hard to find and keep abundant when it feels like the whole world is against you. Yes, you might give others the benefit of the doubt but you can’t do that all the time and you have to find a good mixture to go with.
While you will have your ups and downs, you need to know that you are not what other people make you out to be, your chronic illness is not as much of a warning label as you may see it as. You are still a great person worth getting to know. No, you are not a burden, and you should never think of yourself as such.
Veganostomy.ca wrote as follows on what to do when you’re being or feeling judged:
If you find yourself being judged by others in a way that’s meant to hurt you, remember that they don’t know your whole story, and chances are they are projecting their own insecurities by trolling others – much like how a child behaves by bullying others when he or she feels unloved or underappreciated at home.
If you’re overly critical of yourself, take a step back and breath. Nothing good comes from being mean to yourself, and I find that positive motivation works best in the long run.
Those words are things we should all take to heart. I know, it’s not easy to take control back in the ways you can and there will still be people you won’t know how to deal with but overall, being afraid of the world and worried about what everyone else will think isn’t going to do you any good. You deserve to be happy and your chronic illness shouldn’t be holding you back more than it would be on its own, take your power back as best you can.