Four Ways To Maintain Your Self-Confidence When Dealing With a Chronic Illness

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As if going through midlife wasn’t enough, now you have been diagnosed with a chronic illness, and believe it or not, your self-confidence will take a hit.  Midlife brings its own challenges, trying to manage ageism in the workplace, dealing with a body that doesn’t always do what we want it to do, coming to grips with our own mortality. The fear that the beautiful mind we have depended on to help us figure out life’s struggles and get us to our goals will no longer be able to handle the daily load of information we need it to compute.

On top of all of that, you have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, prediabetes, or high blood pressure.  Managing medications, doctor’s appointments, and the mental stress of dealing with a chronic illness can take its toll on your self-confidence.    A chronic illness is a disease that persists for a long time. Chronic disease is one lasting 3 months or more, by the definition of the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics.

If you are dealing with a chronic condition for more than three months, you might be asking why is maintaining my self-confidence so important.   Dr. Barbara Markway’s research discovered confidence gives you the skills and coping methods to handle setbacks and failure. Self-confidence doesn’t mean you won’t sometimes fail. But you’ll know you can handle challenges and not be crippled by them. Even when things don’t turn out anywhere close to what you planned, you’ll be able to avoid beating yourself up.

While dealing with a chronic condition can be challenging, it is not impossible if you follow these four tips.

Beware of depression:  The CDC reports that people with diabetes are 2 to 3 times more likely to develop depression.   “Depression is a medical illness that causes feelings of sadness and often a loss of interest in activities you used to enjoy. It can get in the way of how well you function at work and home, including taking care of your diabetes. When you can’t manage your diabetes well, your risk goes up for diabetes complications like heart disease and nerve damage.”

Having a chronic illness can really mess with your mind, and if you are not careful, it could bring both your physical and mental health into decline. If you began to lose interest in normal activities or have feelings of sadness that last more than two weeks, speak with your doctor.  It might also be a good idea to schedule some time with a therapist upon hearing your diagnosis.  Your PCP or therapist can help you to mentally prepare for the ups and downs associated with dealing with your chronic illness. 

Up your self-care, if you have never been a proponent of spending time and effort on your own self-care, now it the time.  Schedule non-medical activities such as getting your hair done or getting a haircut.  Manicures, pedicures, and massages work wonders to help you relieve stress.   Don’t forget to exercise, regular exercise will help you to manage both your mental and physical challenges in a holistic way.  Get over the notion that spending time, money, and attention on your personal needs is a luxury you can’t afford.  This is the time to pamper yourself, this will help you to get a handle on self-defeating behaviors that could make it much harder for you to manage your illness and destroy your self-confidence.

Create your village:  Can you handle this alone?  You probably can, but why would you want you.  You are more powerful and confident when you have the support of people who love and care about you.  Create a team of people who will be there for you when you are finding it hard to manage your blood sugar, are getting frustrated with trying to figure out what you can and cannot eat when you have been trying to lose weight, but the pounds just won’t leave.  Your team will include natural supports such as family or friends, and professional supports, such as your doctor, nutritionist, nurse, health coach, trainer, or yoga teacher.  Each one of these folks has a vested interest in making sure that you stay well, and they will provide you with the support you need when you feel stuck.

Understand your disease:  This should have probably been the first tool but understanding your disease will make it so much easier for you to fight it.  Knowledge will boost your self-confidence and help you to feel more in control.   Do not get your information from the internet.  Ask your doctor questions about the mediation(s) you’re taking, what is it supposed to do, and what are the side effects.  Ask your doctor to explain how your condition will affect your daily life.  Be involved in the treatment plan and advocate for yourself, if you are not able to do so, this would be a great place to team up with a member of your team.  They might be able to more objective and advocate on your behalf. 

This is important; I saw this firsthand while working as a parent advocate.  I worked with families where the parent or child had been diagnosed with a chronic condition; in some instances, the patient will shut down and be unable to formulate thoughts or participate in their treatment plan.  Having spoken to the patient before going to the doctor, I conveyed their wishes to their physician.

Don’t be afraid to have hard conversations with your team, let them know what it is you want or don’t want.  This might be the toughest fight of your life, but if you take care of yourself, surround yourself with a supportive team, become mindful of your mental health, and understand the disease you are fighting, you will be able to maintain your self-confidence and face any hurdles head-on.  I can’t wait to hear which one of these tools you will be using this week.  You can use all four or just one, it’s your choice.  The important thing is to start.

Don’t forget to share this post with someone you love. There are 88 million folks struggling with prediabetes in the United States alone, let’s help them out.

Wishing you peace and love,

Renee

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