Chronic Illness: Stress, Suffering and Psychological Reframing

Chronic Illness: Stress, Suffering and Psychological Reframing

There is no doubt that chronic illness - especially invisible illness - involves a lot of suffering, a lot of soul searching, and a great deal of loss - both of one's capacity to continue doing all the things that bring enjoyment - and of self-esteem and fulfilment in life. But what if chronic and invisible illness could be turned into positive experiences? My aim here is to help you - as I have been helped - so please read the full article before reacting. That's what this piece is all about in fact!

For some context. Back in 2010 I completed a bachelors degree - BSc (Hons) - in Nutritional Health and was awarded First Class Honours by the University of Greenwich, London. At 31 I was beginning to think I would never obtain a degree - after being forced to drop out of a Computer Science course at the University of Sheffield aged 19 due to ill health - this was therefore a great achievement for me. I felt elation and vindication it was only invisible illnesses (chronic fatigue syndrome, IBS etc.) that had robbed me at my first attempt at a degree.

However, my Nutritional Health degree and accompanying Nutritional Therapist Diploma from the UK College of Nutrition and Health (BCNH), was supposed to be a springboard into a career as practising and licensed Nutritional Therapist / Nutritionist. Unfortunately, a downturn in my health after the effort of my studies, forced me to re-evaluate my direction and it quickly became clear that in my state of health at that time - I would be unable to cope with working as a full-time Nutritionist after qualifying. I have though practised successfully as a member of The Federation of Nutritional Therapists (FNTP) on and off since then with great positive feedback from delighted patients / clients.

So, back to the focus of this article. Paying close attention to my thoughts and emotions after making the decision not to pursue a full-time Nutritonal Therapist career initially, I was actually pleasantly surprised. I felt good about it. It was a relief and a weight off!

In the past I would undoubtedly have seen this as giving up and suffered a loss of self-confidence. My reaction here however was the exact opposite. I felt like I was thinking more clearly again - and starting immediately after making my mind up not to dive into full-time Nutritional Therapist practise - I began having a flurry of ideas for re-developing The Environmental Illness Resource and writing my first book.

These are both forms of work I can tackle at my own pace without the stress of deadlines and appointments but which are very rewarding, and importantly, fulfil my ultimate goal of helping others suffering from the chronic and invisible illnesses that have come to shape my life, from the age of just 11 years old.

The issue of my ultimate goal is an important point here. It may be a cliche but there really is more than one path to a destination. I wanted to become a Nutritionist to help relieve the suffering of others in a similar situation to my own - but I now realized I could do this in so many other ways - that are both better for my own health and were actually likely to reach more people in need (which they did!).

I believe my regular practice of meditation over the 6 years prior to my studies helped to reshape my view of these events in my life and illuminate them in a more positive light. I found it much easier to see the positive in any situation, no matter how negative it may seem on the surface. I therefore didn't dwell on what might have been - but rather looked to what I might do in the future.

Serendipity seems to have been at work today as just before beginning to write this blog entry, I happened to check my email and in my inbox was an update from the Stress Management section of Medium about a process referred to as 'reframing' by psychologists - which it turns out is exactly what I had been doing subconsciously above - without knowing the theory.

What is Reframing?

An important observation of human behavior is that different people react differently to the same event. One person may be sent into a spiral of depression by something they percieve as "bad" that occurs in their life, while another person who encounters the exact same event, may simply shrug it off, forget about it, and get on with their lives.

Reframing is the term used to describe the process of changing how we look at something and, therefore, our experience of it. In the example above, the second individual was able to reframe a negative event as a minor obstacle to be overcome, thus reframing it in its proper context. The first person was not able to do this and as a result the event had a much greater negative impact on their mental health.

Reframing can change a negative event into a learning experience and represents a tool that can be utilized to alter our perceptions of stressors and, thus relieve significant amounts of stress. It is therefore possible to enjoy a more positive life even before any positive changes are actually made in our circumstances.

Reframing and the Stress Response

It is of great benefit to be aware that the body reacts to perceived stress, rather than actual events. It is our mental response to stimuli that results in the initiation of the body's fight-or-flight stress response. This means that by consciously reframing events in a positive way we can reduce the frequency with which our stress response is triggered - as well as the intensity and duration of this response when it is triggered.

This is very important for both physical and mental health as chemical messengers such as hormones, neurotransmitters and pro-inflammatory cytokines are all damaging if chronically elevated. Pro-inflammatory cytokines may trigger chronic inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, autoimmune diseases, fibromyalgia and many more. Adrenaline raises blood pressure and may put stress on the heart and circulatory system, and chronically raised cortisol has been implicated in depression and mood disorders by multiple studies.

It is clear then that reframing may be a powerful means of reducing the stress and suffering that accompany chronic illness, while also potentially reducing the risk of other chronic illnesses. Above all reframing offers the potential to make life more enjoyable.

Reframing Basics

The following are a few basic methods of reframing that anybody can implement:

Learn About Thinking Patterns - educate yourself about some of these negative thinking patterns that may exacerbate your stress levels.

Notice Your Thoughts - catch yourself when you're slipping into overly negative and stress-inducing patterns of thinking.

Challenge Your Thoughts - As you notice your negative thoughts, an effective part of reframing involves examining the truth and accuracy (or lack thereof) of these thoughts.

Replace With More Positive Thoughts - When you're looking at something negative, see if you can change your 'self talk' to use less strong, less negative words - then more positive emotions will naturally follow. When you're looking at a potentially stressful situation, see if you can view it as a challenge vs. a threat.

I hope you found my personal story of interest, along with the powerful potential of reframing, in psycholigical terms. Or, more positive self-talk if you like. If you did appreciate this information and think you can put it to use in your own life, check out the great resources below on the topic.

Learn more about Reframing:


If you found this post helpful, consider sharing your thoughts with us, a friend, or support group. That alone will help you feel better. For more articles on living well with invisible illness, explore the rest of The Environmental Illness Resource.

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