Hey, if you’re chronically ill/disabled, and especially if your illness is invisible, don’t forget: you’re fighting for you. Your priority is taking care of yourself. It’s hard when people don’t believe you, or don’t understand your symptoms. It’s tempting to focus on convincing them that your suffering is real. But you have limited energy, and if you spend it all on other peoples’ needs you’ll run out before you can take care of yourself. Their lack of understanding or empathy is their own problem. Sometimes convincing people is part of taking care of yourself - you need to convince your doctor that you’re sick, your work/school you need accommodations, sometimes your guardian to take you to appointments, etc. But please, remember that convincing people you need support is not your goal, it’s a step towards reaching your goal. Your goal is to make sure that you’re ok. When people don’t believe you, it’s frustrating, unfair, hurtful. But if you focus on that you will never get to where you need to be. Focus on what you need, and how to get it. You only need people to believe you if they hold authority over the resources you need. At the end of the day, you know what you feel is real, and you know what you need. That is your focus. Don’t let anyone take your focus away from you.
Positive affirmations to help with this:
People can only meet you as deeply as they’ve met themselves.
I am at peace because I know I’m on the right path.
My body is my responsibility, and I do what’s best for me.
I know where my energy needs to go and I put it there.
I am learning the beauty that comes with taking care of myself.
Growth is not equated to situations that bring conflict or stress, I can drop things that aren’t serving me.
The world doesn’t shrink to their size just because they lack the depth to understand it.
I don’t expect peace from people who are at war with themselves.
I am winning my battles even if not everyone can see my scars.