Anxiety and dealing with constant ‘what if’ thoughts are something that every human has to deal with as our brain is trying to interpret our environment for potential threats to try and keep us safe.
But when you live with chronic illness, you will experience new levels of fear that create specific types of anxiety that non chronically ill people never need to think about.
The anxiety of living in a body that is unpredictable and no longer feels safe and can make you experience pain, fatigue and disability at any time.
The anxiety of not being believed, not feeling supported or experiencing blame and judgement for ‘not trying hard enough to get well’.
The anxiety of feeling let down or abandoned by the medical, social and community systems we thought would be there when we most needed them .
The anxiety of experiencing a major flare, hospitalisation or more pain, disability and fatigue.
Inevitably, all of these anxieties lead to feeling stuck in endless ‘what if’ scenarios about all the things that you don’t want to happen which leaves you losing sleep, unable to relax and dealing with the inflammatory effects of all that stress and fear.
In this episode I break down for you why these fears happen, how they have an impact on your emotions and body and most importantly, I share new skills you can use to overcome those scary ‘what if’ thoughts.
Make sure you listen and share this one and if you want to help me reach more people who need to hear this, I would so appreciate it if you would leave a positive review on your favorite podcast player!
Let’s help educate and spread the word of the practical realities and emotional issues that becoming chronically ill bring from those who know it best.
It is only by sharing our stories and experiences that we can help someone else know that they are not alone when it comes to chronic illness.
You can listen to the podcast here on the blog or search and subscribe to The Emotional Autoimmunity Podcast on your favorite podcast player.
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