The Importance of Kindness and Support When You're Chronically Ill

As a person dealing with a chronic illness, the most difficult part is to deal with the insensitivity of others who judge you and mistreat you for having limitations that one has no control over. It’s especially traumatizing when these people are your family members, whom you look up to for support and understanding.

I personally have been broken several times by this kind of treatment, and every time it happens it instills unimaginable fear and apprehension of trusting people again. Once you are vulnerable and share the struggles of dealing with the symptoms that you have to face each day, it puts you in an unsure zone where you are not certain whether you would get the support that you are looking for.

When you get the right kind of support it definitely gives you comfort and peace that there’s at least one person who really “gets it.” Or, even if he or she doesn’t get it, it still gives you some hope – a hope of having the acceptance of someone who knows the limitations that you have now but still chooses to love and respect you.

But if you get indifference, selfishness and hurtful comments in return of you baring your heart and soul, then it just shatters you in thousand pieces. People don’t realize how one kind gesture from them reaching out to us can be so uplifting and can help us to come out of the isolation that we feel on a daily basis.

Sadly, not everyone in this world is capable of being kind and sensitive towards other’s pain and struggles, for whatever reason they continually cause hurt to you emotionally. No reason can be justified for this kind of a behavior.

How can we uplift ourselves without depending on others?

These situations can turn into a great opportunity to understand and contemplate about why are we letting their behavior dictate our emotions and happiness. Indeed, our loved ones will hurt us from time to time, but how can we come out of this loop hole of expecting unconditional support?

Like a hummingbird flies over different flowers to collect the nectar until the bird is satisfied with the amount of nectar she has, she keeps flying in a beautiful pattern, forward and backward it goes over each flower. I feel that if one flower is not giving us enough nectar to nourish us, we should continue to fly and keep hovering over other flowers to seek the nectar of comfort and fulfill our souls with the sweetness.

So, if you are not getting nourishment from one person, look for other like minded people who are full of the kindness that you have been looking for. Take the flight over those flowers and be fierce like a hummingbird! Keep moving forward and pass all the barren flower valleys and fly to the valley of infinite love.

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Thinkstock Image By: Alexander Panov