I met with a new psychologist yesterday who got me immediately, which was great. I think cognitive behavioral therapy is a huge step in the right direction. But he said that my view of myself in the world is that I am sickly. I always used physical illness to cope with difficulties as a child, and frankly even as an adult. I don't intentionally not feel well, but I think I learned at a young age that it was effective for coping with bad things. He said it's really important to see my illness as only a small part of who I am. Right now I see it primarily as who I am.
My question to all of you who have suffered for years and years with this frustrating, chronic illness is: How do you do everything you can to seek treatment by visiting doctors, keeping a special diet, reading studies and literature on the subject, participating in support groups such as this one, and yet not let this disease define your life? How do you suffer with the pain and discomfort every single day and limit your social activities because of it, and not feel that this is who you are? I am not sure I know how.
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How do we seperate ourselves from our illness?
