Resisting To Accept My PsA Diagnosis

I used to cringe whenever someone questioned whether or not I had accepted my diagnosis of PsA. Of course I accepted it. How could I deny it? I felt the pain!! However, the bitterness in my tone and the sharpness of my tongue told another story. It was a story of someone who was resisting acceptance.

State of denial

My pain was and still is undeniable. However, accepting it was real was not the same as accepting it as part of my life. To truly accept my diagnosis, I had to accept that my entire life had changed. It meant accepting that I had to do things differently, maybe use a mobility aid, or that I had to rest even when I didn’t want to. Most importantly, I had to accept that my life was no longer the life I used to have nor would it ever be.

Moving on

It took me close to 14 years to fully and truly accept my chronic life. But once I did, it was like being reborn. Accepting PsA as a part of my life freed me. Instead of always forcing my body to do what it couldn’t, I was able to concentrate on ways to improve my daily life. I found new ways of doing some of my former activities and I allowed myself to try new things. Is my life perfect? Heck no! But whose life is? However, by always considering my chronic illnesses my quality of life has improved.

One final thought

There’s one thing I want you to keep in mind if you are struggling to accept your chronic life and that is that acceptance isn’t a form of giving up. Instead it is about choosing to take control of your life and rising to the challenge of living with a chronic illness. It’s about acknowledging and making the changes that are necessary. It’s about doing the best you can each and every day, even when having to rest and care for yourself is the most you can do.