World Health Day - Living With Chronic Illness

Living With Chronic Illness: How I Protect My Mental Health on the Hard Days

The irony wasn’t lost on me when I was asked to write a piece for World Health Day.

Since my mid-twenties, I’ve been in a battle with my body.

An underactive thyroid that took ten years to diagnose eventually led to Hashimoto’s disease — an autoimmune condition where my body attacks my thyroid. I’ve lived with plantar fasciitis for a decade, knee pain that comes and goes, endometriosis and excruciating periods since I was twelve, IBS, ovarian cysts and laparoscopic surgeries, gallbladder disease and removal, fatty liver disease, early onset menopause, asthma, rosacea, and even vocal nodules for good measure.

None of these conditions are life-threatening.

But each one chipped away at my energy, my confidence, my plans, my sense of “normal.”

And together, they take a toll that’s hard to explain unless you’ve lived it.

The common thread running through all of them is the impact they have on my mental health.

Trying to navigate a world that isn’t built for people who struggle with chronic physical conditions can be exhausting. There’s pressure to keep up, to push through, to pretend you’re fine even when your body is screaming for rest.

Over the years, I’ve had to learn — sometimes the hard way — how to look after my mind when my body is in a flare. This blog is about that. It’s about the practices that help me stay grounded, compassionate, and connected, even on the days when everything hurts. And it’s about offering you some tools to build a kinder relationship with your own body during physical and mental health lows.

🌿 How I Look After My Mental Health During Flare-Ups

Rest is an Activity

A good friend once said this to me, and it really changed how I saw resting.

I’ve learned over the years that rest is something we all need — in whatever form that takes. For me, it’s watching TV shows that bring me joy. Repeats of All Creatures Great and Small and Location, Location, Location are firm favourites. It’s having a cup of tea and a biscuit. I’m also known for my love of a daytime nap. Whatever rest looks like for you, make it meaningful.

I Am Ready for It

Experience teaches you patterns.

I know my body now. I can feel when a flare-up is coming, and I understand what I need. I’m armed with a hot water bottle when my period is on the way, and I prepare myself mentally for the shift in pace.

It’s Okay to Feel Sad

Chronic illness comes with grief.

Grief for the plans you cancel, the energy you lose, the version of yourself you thought you’d be.

I don’t bottle it anymore. I let myself feel it, and then I remind myself that feelings pass.

I Am Nice to Myself

A lot of my work is helping clients become kinder to themselves and giving themselves a break — so I try to practice this too.

I look in the mirror and try not to see the red skin and puffy face, but someone who is trying.

I Celebrate My Resilience

When I look at the list of conditions I’ve lived with, I don’t see weakness.

I see someone who keeps going.

Someone who adapts.

Someone who shows up for herself even when her body makes it hard.

I Stopped Battling

Fighting your body does nothing to help. I’ve made a friend of mine instead. I nurture it in the hard times. I try to love it and see it as the amazing thing it is — for coping with the pain and never giving up.

🌼 Tips to Support Your Mental Health During Physical Health Lows

These are practices that have helped me — and might help you too.

1. Let your body set the pace

• Lower the bar on flare days.

• Break tasks into tiny steps.

• Celebrate small wins.

2. Separate yourself from your symptoms

Your body is struggling — you are not the struggle.This mindset shift reduces shame and self-blame.

3. Build a flare-up toolkit

Fill it with things that soothe you:

• A calming playlist

• A journal

• A heating pad

• A grounding exercise

• A favourite show

• A list of low-energy activities

Make it easy to care for yourself.

4. Stay connected in ways that feel manageable

A simple message.A quiet call.A moment of honesty.Connection protects your mental health.

5. Practice self-compassion like it’s a ritual

Rest without guilt.Speak kindly to yourself.Acknowledge your effort, not just your output.

6. Educate the people around you

Clear communication reduces emotional labour later.It’s okay to say:

• “I may cancel plans last minute.”

• “I need more rest than most people.”

Boundaries are a form of self-care.

7. Create joy that doesn’t depend on feeling well

Find small pleasures that fit your energy level.Joy that adapts to your body is sustainable joy.

🌻 A Final Thought

Living with chronic illness means constantly renegotiating your relationship with your body.

Some days it feels like a battle.Other days it feels like a partnership.Most days, it’s somewhere in between.

But your worth has never depended on how “healthy” you are.

Your value isn’t measured by productivity, energy levels, or how well you hide your pain.

You are allowed to rest.You are allowed to feel.You are allowed to take up space — even on the days when your body feels heavy.

You deserve to love the body you were blessed with, pain and all.I hope these tips help will you get there.