Stepping Back From the Community When It Becomes Too Much

I've said it a million times, and I'll probably say it a million more; the chronic illness community is one like no other. There is so much love and support amongst this group of people. I always encourage others to share their stories so that they can connect with others who are going through the same things as they are. I believe it's one of the best ways to learn and to feel a little less alone when dealing with an illness such as ours.

We tell it how it is

Something I really love about this community is that we're a really vocal group of people, and we're not afraid to share what's on our minds...most of the time. The downside is that sometimes it can become a bit overwhelming. I know I've personally felt this way and have heard others mention feeling the same. There are times when we may need to take a break, and that's totally okay!

We complain a lot

Part of the reason we may need a break is that when living with these illnesses we tend to complain a lot, and that is totally justifiable considering what we go through daily. When I first started talking about my disease openly, I had a really positive and upbeat attitude, always looking to the future with nothing but optimism. I was constantly receiving messages from people saying how much they admired that. The longer I've been a part of the community, and the longer I've lived with AS, I've noticed that that positivity has kind of dwindled. It's really hard to stay positive in an atmosphere where everybody is in pain and everybody's suffering. On top of that, I think reality finally hit me that this disease wasn't going away, and I've had a difficult time coping with that.

It's hard to give advice when you're struggling

Recently I've been going through a hard time both mentally and physically. The new onset of new diagnosis has left me feeling lower than I probably have in a really long time. I don't like to use the word depression, but I'm afraid that's where this has all landed me. When we feel like this, it can be really hard to comfort others and read about the awful things they're going through. It's not because we're not compassionate or because we don't care. It's just because it can be really overwhelming when we're already not in a great headspace.

Take a break

When I realized that trying to help other people was beginning to wear on me, I decided it was time for me to take a break from the community. I got off social media, and I spent as much time outdoors and with my family as possible. Sometimes we need to hyperfocus on ourselves and what we need, no matter how much we want to help others.

The community isn't going anywhere

When I decided I was ready, I came back to social media and started sharing what was going on in my life. I felt somewhat refreshed and felt comfortable sharing and talking with others again. I picked up right where I left off, and nothing has changed. We understand each other, and sometimes we may need to take a step back, and there is absolutely no shame in that.