Blog Two
Focus Article: The Guardian
‘I gave up hope of a cure for my chronic condition. And it’s made me happier than ever before’
I can't quite fathom that the person who wrote this article isn't me.
Perhaps it is me living in a parallel universe - because as I enter my 6th month of almost constant fatigue (interrupted by only a few periods where I have had an energy budget greater than 2-3 hours a day), I too have "embraced my identity as a person with a disability – and learned how to be happy." I have learnt how to ask (and receive) help with less shame. I have set up my bedroom and hired all the equipment I need for the days I can't walk to the toilet, stand in the shower or make it to the kitchen to get my own lunch.
I have learnt to be so grateful for the magnificent gum tree that grows outside my window, and the tiny terrier that seems happy to nap with me most of the day. For the first time in my life I have been able to separate my health from my happiness - partly by recognising that I deserve to be happy and spending the time, money and energy to still do the things that make me smile - and partly because acceptance is a powerful thing.
It's a very different attitude to the one I have had for the past 32 years - since I was diagnosed with ME/CFS - And it's such a relief to not be fighting it or myself anymore.
29 July 2022