Chronic Illness Q&A with Dr. B.

Dr. Larry Berkelhammer

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. When I get a certain number of related questions, I pick one that covers them all and I answer that one.

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

Here is this week’s question:

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:  Please say more about how living with chronic illness can be used for personal growth.

ANSWER:   Living with certain chronic medical conditions may require various alterations in the way we live our lives, but the idea is to accept all those alterations and find ways to work around them.

For example, some of us must be able to always have easy, quick access to a bathroom, but this is now considerably less of a problem thanks to the new various apps available for iPhone and Android devices, which will guide you directly to the nearest bathroom and even rate them.

Others of us need to nap at inconvenient times, which can interfere with work and other responsibilities. The idea is to accept the necessity of this inconvenience and assertively take care of ourselves.

Many of us must be able to take the time to eat multiple small nutrient-dense meals throughout the day, administer medications by various routes and schedules, or do certain stretching or other exercises throughout the day. There are all kinds of extra self-care activities many of us must engage in throughout the day to maintain our health.

It is very easy to fall into viewing these activities as extreme nuisances. In fact, they can often lead to feelings of overwhelm and helplessness.

Alternatively, they can be used as opportunities for self-connection and loving self-care. The goal is to accept the importance of these extra activities and recognize that we actually want to do them because we value our health. Set an intention to consciously choose loving self-care.                        

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 that are related to the relationship between states of mind and health? 

Just scroll down and type your question in the comment box. I will post a reply to your comment, but your question may not appear in this column.