Chronic Illness Truth #14

One of the greatest frustrations of the chronic illness community is when people assume that you're "faking" your illness for attention.  Let's be real here:  There is no way that a community that takes up almost 50% of America is all faking it.  You're right, I don't look sick!  But that's mainly because I spent two years looking sick on a constant basis, and who wants to look sick all the time?

There is an immense amount of truth in the phrase "Fake it till' you make it."  And for the most part, I have to try to live life to the fullest and have as much happiness as I can despite the chronic illness.  That desire and constant striving doesn't downplay how much pain I've experienced, or the constant battle I fight just to be able to get up and going each day.  Some days are better than others.  Some days awful.  And some days are just plain frustrating!  But that doesn't mean I'm going to give up any time soon.

Everyone's chronic illness life looks a little different as we're all striving to reach a point where we don't have to fake it anymore.  But in the meantime, we strive as hard as we can to continue forward (even if that means spending a day in bed).  And that's what makes each and every chronic illness warrior strong and resilient.  We don't quit even when we're in the middle of the fire and feeling like we're being burned alive.  There is grace and resilience inside of every chronic illness warrior, and that is something that we all must be reminded of.

Comment below what "faking it" looks like for you and how you manage to live despite the illness!​