Navigating Social Challenges with Illness: How Did You Cope?

you don't have to explain nothing to anyone, No one needs explanation for what is going on with you. It's you. T❤️ the Lord knows your heart and he's the only one we have to answer to, so let em stare and think what ever they want to because we dont owe them nothing. So live your life your life in peace and keep your focus on the Lord Jesus Christ

I just assume people think I'm antisocial. No able to even go baby shower. But I don't care anymore what they may be thinking about me. Feel no worth being present with pain. Better staying home and painless days :) if I really miss socialising, I just invite them to my home, that's it. Hope you get strength to survive one more day! Today is enough to handle. Praying for you all :)

Well I could take this in many different directions depending on which issue I’m talking about. Currently my adhd and (suspected) autism have been giving me loads of social and academic trouble. I don’t know how to manage it yet. I’ve realized my struggles in communication and I’m working on bettering it and being clear with people about my struggles. I lost a friend because of it, but my other friend and I have reflected on how it wasn’t a healthy friendship. Lots of ups and downs.

Not having supportive friends during disability appeal. Friends and coworkers not understanding when I'm not able to be present and active. Wanting to engage in community opportunities but missing out because of my conditions.

University. Currently almost finished my first year and debating whether I'll be able to go back

Dating ❤️

Letting go of relationships that died off due to my illness.

Getting out of the house and hanging out with friends is a huge challenge, especially when I don't know if my illnesses will affect me more than usual during a scheduled event.

I get involved behind my screen. I'm not terrified when there's something protecting me from the actual process of interaction

Just making friends

Living Life every day.

Being social period

My mum, who is elderly and cant walk all the time (but can sometimes) gets abused!!!? She just says to them, "you don't want what I've got! And they shutup. People are A'holes... It's a shame but it's the truth.

I suffer from limited mobility due to degenerative back issues, which is bad enough, but I also suffer from urinary incontinence. I am starting to make myself get out and about more this spring, but would literally go weeks at a time without leaving my apartment over the winter. Between the pain and difficulty walking, and fear of an incontinence accident, I dreaded even the thought of leaving the house. The spring I am hoping that surgery can correct the incontinence issues, which actually keep me homebound more than the back pain does. For example, with the back pain I could take a cruise, but I'm not going to do so with the level of incontinence I have been suffering. I'm not boarding a boat with that many supplies in hand! It also means very little domestic travel as I do not want to wet the bed in a hotel. At home is bad enough. Male urinary incontinence is treated as anomalous which only aggravates the stigma. Note to front end workers at Walmart and supermarkets everywhere: keep those scooters plugged in and charged please. There's nothing worse than seeing a line of scooters, none of which are plugged in. I can't tell you the number of times I've gotten to the far corner of a Walmart and had my scooter die on me. And it's really to their economic advantage to have scooters charged, maintain, and at the ready. There are times I will turn around and walk out if there are no scooters. I will definitely shop for shorter period of time with the lower ticket value if scooters are not available.

The invisibility and dynamism of my illness are my biggest social challenges. I don't "look sick" or "act sick" sometimes (even when I am), so people forget or doubt me when I say I can't do things. When I say I've spent all weekend in bed, people say, "Oh, that must be nice," as if it was a luxury. I just try to shrug it off because their lack of understanding doesn't impact how I navigate this illness.

Still struggling and coping