Socialising when you have a Chronic Condition by Karen Pritchard

M aintaining friendships is such a rewarding experience, but living with a Chronic condition and pain can be very difficult.
Friendships play such an important part in people’s health and well-being. It can be very difficult to find opportunities to make friendships, so socialising and getting out and about is vital to our well-being.

It takes much confidence to find opportunities for friendship or social groups to join. We feel a need to play a part in society. It is so important to be given the same opportunities to make friends as everybody else.

Although it’s difficult to remain positive on bad days we must learn to turn to friends as a source of support. More often than not they can relate to our problems. At the other end of the spectrum – resolving conflict can seriously help our pain as the more we worry and stress, the more distressing pain is. Letting people know your limitations can also help as if you can’t do something, at least they understand the reasons. Most importantly be kind to ourselves and try to embrace the positives .....

Living with chronic pain can be tough both physically and emotionally. It is easy to skip activities like visits to the gym, swimming that uses up vital energy which we may need to store for other daily tasks. However, any exercise has many benefits and has been
shown to reduce pain perception, increase mobility, improve strength and balance and even reduce stress and tiredness.

For parents, it can be difficult to let your child out from your protective care and their safety bubble, but it is so important that they get out, make friends, and experience as much as they can. MD can sap your confidence - if you let it - and before you know it, you’re stuck at home. I’ve been there. Have a read of some of the things our readers of One Voice get up to - with a bit of planning, anything is possible. Don’t forget, you’re not alone - you’ve got the NMC community who will help and support you if there’s something you want to do but don’t know where to start.

A Centre user describes..... “My friends knew something wasn’t quite right but they didn’t dare ask me as they didn’t think I was ready to talk about it. When eventually I did tell them, I discovered they’d been really worried behind my back - because they care - no other reason. They didn’t leave   and run away like I thought they would - the opposite in fact.”

“I find by being out and about, people stare at me. That was my worry about being in a chair. But I soon realised it was rarely out of pity (which I assumed it would be) but out of ‘good on you getting out and about’ kind of inspiration. We are all unique and have many gifts and talents - sometimes we forget.”