How Radical Acceptance can help you cope with Chronic Illness
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, Radical Acceptance is a DBT skill. You can read much, much more about it in this excellent post from @shitborderlinesdo, but the basic idea of radical acceptance is to acknowledge reality and stop fighting against it. You can still be angry, sad, or hurt by that reality, but the goal is to acknowledge the fact that there are some parts of your situation that you cannot change.
Radical Acceptance has been absolutely KEY to me creating a life worth living, especially once chronic illness turned my life upside down. Here are some examples of what this could mean for someone with a chronic illness/disability
That you stop obsessing over “what if’s” trying to imagine ways your past self could have prevented your illness/disability and accept that it *did* happen and you need to move on from here. (This is especially relevant to those who became disabled suddenly, such as in an accident)
That you stop searching for a cure if evidence suggests one does not exist, and focus on managing & controlling your symptoms
That you can accept that you *do* need treatment if your disease calls for it, and that denial will not make your illness go away
Accepting that some of your past goals or plans may no longer be realistic, and allowing yourself to mourn this loss
Accepting that no matter how diligently you stick to your treatment, you do not have full control over your condition
Accepting you may never have a satisfying answer to why this happened.
Acknowledging that even though it’s not “fair” that you are ill and/or disabled, that it *is* what happened, and you need to work with where you are.
Accepting that your life can be worth living, even with chronic conditions
It does NOT mean that you need to be happy about this. It does not mean you can’t wish you were healthier, or work towards a goal to be. It does not mean you have to like being sick/disabled, or suddenly believe this was all some blessing in disguise. All it means is that you acknowledge the reality of your situation, and transfer your energy from fighting reality to working for a better life within it.
Radical Acceptance can be a slow and difficult process, but it’s so important. It allows you to validate the emotions you’re feeling by acknowledging the reality of what you have lost. It can lessen the emotional pain associated with your illness (over time) and save energy spent fighting something you cannot change. Ultimately, it can be the foundation of a life worth living. And you know what? No matter what, you *do* deserve a life that is worth living <3
