6 Ways That Chronic Illness Has Helped Me Cope With the COVID-19 Pandemic

I  don’t think anyone was “prepared” for what the world is going through right now. I mean… how could we be? I know for me, feeling so rejuvenated after a rough start to my 2020, I was ready to be going to hot yoga every day, spending every weekend with my girlfriends, flying to Hawaii in a couple of weeks and crushing my business. The crushing the business part is 100% still happening, but everything else has done a total flip-onto-its-head. I’ve swapped hot yoga for at-home virtual flows, runs, and bodyweight workouts. I’ve swapped weekends with my girlfriends for FaceTime happy hours. I’ve swapped flying to Hawaii for being content on the couch with my books, traveling to different places through their words.

And, strangely, I’ve been a lot more okay than I thought I would be, especially with living alone during it all.

Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely days and moments where I’m racked with anxiety or I cry because I miss my family or I just feel so. damn. lonely. But overall, I’ve been able to stay positive and hopeful.

Maybe it’s because a part of me knows I NEED to in order to support my clients and community, but I think a huge part of it is because having a chronic illness has taught me so much about staying strong and how to continually lean on faith over fear in unknown times. How to choose gratitude over resistance. How to keep visualizing a future, even when the timeline for that future is a shot in the dark.

I truly think that, as unprepared as we ALL are, those of us with chronic illness are a bit more prepared than everyone else.

• Taking it one day at a time

When you have a chronic illness you quickly learn that life is unpredictable. And not always in the fun, I-love-spontaneity (except I don’t) kind of way. It’s unpredictable in the one-second-I’m-doing-fine-and-now-I’m-in-horrible-pain kind of way. Chronic illness teaches you to wake up every morning and ask yourself “how am I feeling today? What do I need? Where are my emotions at?” I’m finding I need the same thing right now. Some days I’m motivated and love the alone time, other days I’m lonely, scared and anxious. Every day I’ve been waking up and asking myself “how does my mind and heart feel today? What do I need? Where are my emotions at?”

2. Spending time alone

Chronic illness has given me an even bigger appreciation for alone time. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been an introvert at heart, needing me time to recharge. But having a chronic illness really took that up a notch. Social gatherings, travel, holidays… they all take the energy out of me more than they used to, so for years I’ve been spending more and more time in solitude in order to keep my body healthy. I’m finding the extra alone time I’m having now isn’t as hard as it is for many others. I’m used to down time, alone time, me time because I’ve NEEDED it in the past in order to get me through the day and busier times.

3. Working from home

I knew the normal 9-5 schedule would never work for my body. My illness is too unpredictable for that and the stress of a 9-5 corporate job would wreak havoc on my body. Knowing that, I first went into personal training thinking that was a better option (silly me). After two months of non-stop walking 10+ miles every day around the enormous gym I worked at, constant social interaction, and then late-night hours working on what used to just be a blog… my fatigue had never been worse. I realized the best thing for me and my illness was to make my business a reality so I could have the freedom of working from home and creating my own schedule. Chronic illness urged me to work my butt off to make working from home my reality. So, while others are trying to figure out how to set their own schedules, no just climb back into bed and stay motivated, I’m over here sipping my tea feeling motivated and content.

4. Being okay when life doesn’t go as planned

So many times, I have something planned – a date, a social gathering, a weekend trip, a run, etc. and my body has a different idea. My insides are just like “oh sorry sis those plans got canceled did we not tell you???” And I’ve had to learn to be okay with that. Why? Because why waste my time being angry or frustrated or wondering “why me?” every time this happens? Because trust me, it happens a lot and it’s probably going to happen a lot more. Instead, I breathe through it, give myself grace, treat my body kindly, and make the right decision of changing my plans. I know so many of us are upset right now – about canceled parties and canceled trips and canceled plans – but just pause, breathe, remind yourself that one day these things will resume. For now, lean into the fact that things didn’t go as planned and there’s no use in being angry.

5. Living with unknowns

On that note, life with chronic illness has a lot of unknowns. Will I feel up to hanging out with my friends tomorrow? Will I have a flare again? Will my medication work? I could go on and on and on. Right now, there are a lot of unknowns too. When will I get to see my family again? When will this all end? When can I plan trips again? What I’ve learned from living with unknowns is to resort back to number 1 – taking it day by day. Don’t let your mind run in circles over the unknowns. You can’t control them, so release that desire to be in control.

6. “this is not your forever”

This is not my forever – as I lay staring out of a hospital window. This is not my forever – as I curl up in pain on my bed. This is not my forever – as I prep for medical tests. This is not my forever – as I cling to my heating pad. It’s a small simple reminder, but it’s always done the trick. It reminds me that, this moment? It sucks. It’s hard. It’s scary. It FEELS like it is my forever, but it’s not. It reminds me that better times always come. I always feel better. I always eel joy and happiness and calmness once again. So, as we, as a collective community, now go through something that not everyone may be as mentally prepared for, I want to remind you – this is not your forever. This is not OUR forever. Hold onto that.

I Think something to also note here is that chronic illness forced these things upon me and they’re a forever sort of thing for me and so many others – being extra careful about our immunity, needing extra downtime, not being as social, taking things one day at a time, having so many unknowns in our future. So, all I ask, for me and my community, is that you’re mindful – mindful that the situation we’re in right now feels a lot like normal life to so many others. Life like this is normal for some of us because it has to be, and I’m thankful for the strength that my chronic illness has given me in this time. Like a little protection I never knew I needed.

Xx