How Writers Can Stay Positive During Chronic Illness

“Writing is a way of processing our lives. And it can be a way of healing.” -Jan Karon

I write this post as I sit in my wheelchair after recently fracturing my right femur. This rehabilitation visit is the third major hospitalization since November 2019 where I spent 53 days. I’ve become extremely deconditioned and weak, dependent on others and struggling with physical therapy to regain my independence. It has been very difficult to let others help me.

I have always tried to arm myself with a positive attitude, but these recent health scares have threatened to overwhelm me. I’ve had no choice but to come to terms with my own fragility and vulnerability. The long days of marketing and writing I’ve put in for my blog, A Memoir Writer’s Journey is long over. Self-pity would only stall my body’s ability to heal and recover.

Sometimes the anxiety of stress requires pivoting so you can find ways to stay positive which is especially necessary when coping with the long-term illness. These takeaways helped me grapple with my chronic illness so I could find more time and energy to write:

Listen to your body and go with the flow

Listening to my body has been an exercise in mindfulness and acceptance. Some days I might feel strong enough to write while other days I might need a nap. I try honoring and accepting where I am with my body without fighting it. On those good days, I make sure to celebrate those wins to carry me through the difficult ones. Those achievements increase my self-esteem so I can stay positive.

Accepting my current condition means tapping into all the things that ARE going right—family, friends and even having a good day. Gratitude breeds positivity. And there’s always something to be grateful for. Always.

Readjust Expectations

Coping with an illness is a tricky adjustment of expectations. As I write this post, the Corona Virus (COVID-19) has struck our global village like a plague. Countries and cities are on lockdown. There are thousands of families dealing with the illness of a loved one. The threat of the virus is everywhere. And yet somehow the world is pushing through with resilience. Companies are operating remotely. Families are homeschooling.

This unprecedented era reminds me of a time when I had to battle Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I had fluid in my lungs making it increasingly harder to breathe. My life was on the line. I thought there might be a chance I might die.

Focus on what’s going right instead of what’s going wrong

If you’ve had a good day walking around with your cane, that’s a win! If you are able to write and read with medication, that’s another win! Keep adding those wins until you’ve got a nice list going. Add things like showering, making breakfast and doing household chores because those things take energy too.

Notice how far you’ve come

When you catch yourself feeding into that anxiety of how far you still have to go, visualize a stop sign in front of your face and change back to positive thinking. Mind over matter. When I start getting discouraged about how much more time I have to stay in rehabilitation, I use this for my mantra: “short term pain for long term gain.”

It takes a concerted effort to achieve and maintain a positive attitude. I find it helpful to set an intention. If I don’t believe I will get better, I probably won’t. But if I tell myself that I can and will do this, my chances will be much better. Visualizing the day I get discharged and walk again so I am able to go home is a tool I use.

Key Takeaways

· Live in gratitude so you can rise to the challenge of coping with your current health issues.

· Accept your current situation and claim small victories daily.

· Adjust expectations as often as necessary.

· Give yourself space you need to find your own rhythm so you can still write.

Although my physical challenges seem ongoing, I have developed a system so I can write and read. Writing distracts me in a positive way. I try to claim my small victories every day. I also do positive visualization where I imagine myself being able to progress to the next level.

At the end of the day, I have a conscious choice to make: to wallow in self-pity or write? Every moment is an opportunity to choose for the better. And that’s a major win towards my recovery.

What about you? Have you ever had to deal with a physical or mental ailment that challenged you in your own writing?

 

About the author

A retired family nurse practitioner, Kathy Pooler began writing at the age of eight when she crafted plays to act out in front of her maternal grandmother, Nan, and her Italian lady friends. Memoir writing helped her transcend two abusive marriages and divorces, single parenting, a substance-addicted son,  cancer, heart and kidney failure to find a life of peace and joy. She blogs weekly at Memoir Writer’s Journey.

About Just the Way He Walked

Just the Way He Walked: A Mother’s Story of Healing and Hope is a story of how one woman’s simultaneous battles of Stage Four Non–Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and her young adult son’s addiction to alcohol and drugs test her resolve to never, ever give up hope.

Written for parents, particularly mothers, of children who are addicted, this is a story of love, faith, hope, and breaking the cycle of addiction. Family relationships, father-son, mother-son, single parenting, the impact of addiction on families, and the need for education in breaking the cycle of addiction are all explored. The message of resilience and faith in the face of insurmountable odds serves as a testament of what is possible when one dares to hope.

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Category: How To and Tips