Signs Someone is Struggling With Their Illness

There’s a lot of weight that comes with living with a chronic illness. We often don’t show it, because if we did surrender to that struggle, it would be difficult to get anything done. We still have bills to pay and a life to live despite having these symptoms. Nonetheless, it can get heavy both emotionally and physically. Here are some signs that someone you know is struggling with their illness:

They’re spending more time in bed

Many times those of us who struggle with chronic pain or fatigue, or a long list of other debilitating symptoms, end up having days or periods of time where we just can’t fight it off anymore. It’s not easy having to wake up every day and put on a brave face. Eventually it starts to wear us down.

It’s understandable that we may need to have some rest days when we become fatigued so that we can try and save our energy for important events or to get work done, this is actually quite normal. But if we are spending an unusual amount of time in bed it may be because we are having a particularly hard time. It could be because our pain is flaring, or on the other hand because we are struggling emotionally.

They’re isolating themselves

They’re spending less time talking with friends or family. They’re responding to texts more dull and straight-forward, or they’re not responding at all. These are all signs that they may be having a hard time with their symptoms.

In my personal experience, I begin isolating more when I am either feeling incredibly overwhelmed or because I am sick of explaining my symptoms or daily struggles. So instead of outwardly expressing these frustrations, I start to internalize them because I become so sick of talking about it, let alone having them in the first place.

Their pain is making them break more frequently

Even those of us who live with chronic pain every single day have our breaking points. You don’t ever get used to it. It’s just a matter of trying to not let it get the better of us. We wake up every day and put on a brave face. But eventually, a breaking point will come, especially if we are flaring up or experiencing more pain than usual.

We usually don’t cry over our daily pain, but if you notice we are crying more often due to it, this is a sign that we are struggling. You can’t fix them, but you can’t go wrong with offering your support Though there may only be a small handful of things that you can do to help with their symptoms—like grabbing their medication, helping them make food, or maybe even giving them a massage to try and ease their pain—-you can’t fix them.

Sometimes it can be hard to accept this while watching someone you love struggle. All you want to do is take their pain away. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. Despite this, you can never go wrong with simply voicing your support and letting them know that you are there to listen and offer a helping hand.