Chronic Illness Q&A with Dr. B.

This question & answer column is for people living with chronic health challenges and their family caregivers, who want to learn to increase the odds of improving their health by learning to live with mastery & wellbeing.

I invite you to post your questions in the comments box below and I will answer them on a future Friday in this column.

I post to this blog three times per week. Monday posts are articles I’ve written. Wednesday posts are interviews—mostly video. Friday posts consist of your questions about living better with chronic health challenges, and my answers to them.

Someone recently asked me this question during one of my presentations:

Question:  What do I tell my friends?  This question was actually asked as a follow-up question by the same person who asked last week’s question.   

Answer: You sound frustrated and it’s quite understandable. However, if you express your frustration and anger toward your friends when they criticize you for backing out of plans at the last minute, they may stop including you. Therefore, here is what I recommend: Explain to them that it’s very frustrating and exasperating for you to not feel well so much of the time and to have to so frequently miss out being with them. Dialog with them until you are comfortable that they understand. If they don’t seem capable of understanding and empathizing, you may want to question whether you really value that friendship.

This website is offered as a free public service, supplying information that has been found helpful to certain people living with chronic health challenges. No treatment is offered on this website. The advice is general, and may or may not apply to your individual situation, and is not a substitute for psychotherapy or medical treatment.

What questions do you have about how to live better with chronic health challenges? Each Friday, I will answer your questions in Chronic Illness Q&A with Dr. B.

Just scroll down and type your question in the comment box and you’ll see my response to you in an upcoming Friday post.