FOMO and Chronic Illness: How to Cope When You Can’t Do It All
When you’re dealing with a chronic illness, it’s important to know that your limitations don’t define you. You are more than your condition, and working on ways to understand that will make it easier to get through your symptoms daily. However, as you likely already know, every day with a chronic illness is different. Some days will feel better than others. Due to the unpredictable nature of your illness, it may be difficult to make plans with friends to go out for a night on the town two weeks from now. You might try to make some future plans on a day you’re feeling good, but have to cancel on the day you actually planned for.
You also might see your friends and family members posting their good times on social media and feel even worse about your condition. Or, you might risk going out just so you don’t miss anything, only to regret it later when you’re experiencing a flare-up.
Since it’s hard to always participate in social activities and events, it’s not uncommon for people with chronic illnesses to experience FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). So, what can you do to cope when you can’t do it all? How can you handle FOMO when you have a chronic illness?
Be Honest With Your Loved Ones
One of the best things you can do if you’re worried about missing out on experiences is to talk to the people in your life. Everyone might know about your illness, but they may not know how it impacts you.
Don’t be afraid to open up and share what you go through daily. Talk about what you need, as well as what you feel comfortable with. The people who care about you will want you to be a part of as many things as possible. They’ll often be willing to make adjustments or do things that are easier for you to join in on. It’s not always easy to talk about your illness, but it can make a big difference in helping people understand.
Understand Your Limits
It can be tempting to say “yes” to everything when you are invited to things or you want to do something. No one wants their illness to hold them back. Unfortunately, that can sometimes do more harm than good. Pushing your body past its limits can make your symptoms worse. If you want to stay as healthy as possible, it’s important to know your limits and stay within them. It might be disappointing in the moment, but it will make you feel better in the long run. This might mean finding ways to do parts of activities, or accommodating certain activities to meet your needs. Again, this is where talking to your friends and family about what will work for you will come into play.
Be Spontaneous with Good Days
Even if you can’t do much planning ahead with an unpredictable illness, you can still be involved in fun activities with people you love on good days. If you wake up one morning feeling energetic and upbeat, don’t take it for granted! Call a friend or family member and ask if they want to grab lunch or go for a walk. Make it a goal to do at least one social activity or hobby you really enjoy but don’t often get the chance to do.
Spontaneity can make it easier to deal with the situations you have to miss out on. Plus, doing things on days when you feel better will give you something to look forward to while providing a much-needed boost to your overall mood.
You’re not always going to be able to do everything you want when you’re trying to manage a chronic illness. By keeping the people in your life informed and making your health a priority, you’ll have an easier time accepting that while finding ways to cope with dreaded FOMO.
Begin therapy for chronic illness in Duluth, GA
You don’t have to keep struggling with your chronic illness on your own. Counseling can help you move forward and reduce your anxiety. As a chronic illness therapist, I specialize in helping people deal with the effects of their chronic illness. To start your therapy journey, follow these simple steps:
Click this Contact Me link.
Book a free, 15 minute phone consultation with me to talk more about what you are looking for from therapy and to ask me any questions you have for me about the process.
Schedule your first therapy session to start learning to cope effectively with your illness.
Other services available from Ginny Kington, Psy.D.
Chronic illness treatment isn’t the only mental health service I provide. Oftentimes, if you are coping with a chronic illness, you are experiencing a considerable amount of anxiety and/or depression. Additionally, individuals who experience chronic illness are also more likely to have been through traumatic experiences. Therapeutic services are available in all of these areas. I am able to provide these services in my office in Duluth, Georgia or online in the following states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington DC, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
