Living with chronic illnesses can take a toll on everyone – the chronically ill and their families.

There are several things that I have found that help me navigate the chronic illness rollercoaster:

1. Simplify life. Chronic illness makes you prioritize things. Simplify what you can and do what is most important.
2. Keep gratefulness lists. It will be easy to look at the negative. Instead, keep a list of things for which you are grateful daily. It will change your life.
3. Practice connecting with people. Your community will look different, but connection is important. (We would love to help you with this!) Find those with whom you can connect on a fairly regular basis and work with them. Don’t wait for them to reach out to you; reach out to them.
4. Research ways to navigate your illness. There are many support groups or blogs on the internet. Reach out to see if they have tip sheets or other resources to help you adapt to your illnesses.
5. Ask for help. It is okay to ask for help. You may start with your doctor and your family/friends. In that, do what you can to be independent, but do not be afraid to ask for help as well.

I found this site which lists some other ideas.

What would you add to our list?