I don't think people understand how much energy it takes every day to be mentally and physically ill and just… keep everything on track.
Every day, several times a day, I work to make sure I am drinking enough water. If I don't. It will affect my chronic illness. I will feel ill and everything will be harder.
Everyday I try to make sure I eat two to three meals. Sometimes it's hard because I feel ill, sometimes it's hard because, mentally, food is repulsive. If I don't eat I will end up feeling more ill.
When I am standing I have to make sure I don't stand for too long. If I don't I will feel faint.
When I am sitting I have to make sure I am not sitting the wrong way. If I don't I will strain my joints, I might pull them out of place. I will be in pain for days.
Sometimes a change in the weather will make me feel ill.
Sometimes a change in the air quality will make me feel ill.
I have to check the ingredients of everything I eat or I will be ill. I'm not just looking for one thing. It's dozens of things. Some things only become a problem depending on the amount. Some things only become a problem depending on how they are processed. It's a constant struggle to remember everything. If I make one mistake I will have digestive issues.
But if I get too stressed or am having other chronic problems flare up I might have digestive issues anyways.
When I am stressed I try not to tense up my muscles. If I do, I will be sore for days. It might affect my joints.
But it's easy for me to be stressed. Small changes to my routine are painful. I get overwhelmed by people, by noise, by unexpected change. I work hard to manage it but it's hard.
Sometimes something very normal happens but I have trauma so it feels incredibly not normal for me. It might take days to figure out what exactly happened and how to dig myself out of my emotions.
My memory is poor. There is so much I have to remember to stay mentally and physically okay. Not even good. Just okay. It's so hard to remember everything. There is almost always something falling through the cracks.
I get tired easily. Even just maintaining my mental and physical health is exhausting. But if I don't do it it is even MORE exhausting.
And it starts all over every day.












