Living with a chronic illness isn’t easy. Some days, your symptoms might be so mild that you feel you can take on the world. On other days, you might be in so much pain or discomfort that you need to seek urgent medical care. Whether you were born with a chronic illness or you developed one later in life, you never know when you’ll have to deal with an unexpected challenge due to your condition.

It can be tough to move forward in life and achieve your personal goals when you’re always responsible for managing your illness, too. Here’s how dealing with a chronic illness can influence your mental health.

Deep Exhaustion

Many people with chronic illnesses deal with exhaustion day in and day out as a symptom of their condition. Living with fatigue, on top of all of your other symptoms, can be debilitating. You may have trouble finding the energy to do the things you love.

If you have a job, you might struggle to meet important deadlines because you’re constantly tired. Furthermore, you may not have enough paid time off to relax when you need it most. Sometimes, you might feel like people don’t understand when you simply don’t have the energy to make plans with them.

Difficulty with Relationships

When you’re living with a chronic illness, it can be hard to meet new people and cultivate fulfilling relationships. If you were diagnosed with a chronic illness within the past few years, you might have realized that many of your friends didn’t stick around to support you.

Sometimes, you might feel deeply lonely. When you’re always feeling under the weather, it can be tough to put yourself out there and socialize. You may feel like even your close friends don’t fully understand what you’re going through.

Anxiety

You may find yourself constantly worrying about whether your symptoms will flare up in the coming days. Every time you make plans, you might stress about the possibility that your condition will make it impossible to uphold those commitments.

Furthermore, people with chronic illnesses often have to go to frequent doctor’s appointments, or they may end up spending lots of time in the hospital. Being poked, prodded, and tested on a regular basis can be anxiety-inducing.

Depression

Sometimes, you might feel like your life isn’t truly your own. It can be difficult to “stay positive” or “look on the bright side” when so much is out of your control. You may find yourself longing for the days before you were diagnosed with your illness.

When you’ve had a long stretch of good days or weeks, only to feel your symptoms flare up again, you can feel truly crushed. These reminders of life without your condition can be devastating. And if your symptoms have been getting worse, you can easily develop symptoms of depression, too.

Trauma

Medical trauma, and trauma resulting from complications with chronic illnesses, affects many people. You may have suffered through intensely frightening symptoms that left you fearing for your life. Alternatively, even if your condition has been relatively stable, you might have dealt with unfair treatment from medical professionals.

You may have even struggled to get your doctor to take your symptoms seriously in the first place so that you could get the diagnosis you needed in order to seek treatment. Incidents like this can be traumatic, and in the long run, they can even lead to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

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Is living with a chronic illness causing your mental health to suffer? Working with a therapist can help. Reach out to us today to discuss your options for scheduling your first session.