6 Things Spoonies Need From You

I was thinking the other day of 6 common things that people going through chronic illness such as CFS / ME all collectively need from those around them... this is what the spoonie community all needs!:

1. 𝗧𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 - they are not making their illness up. Nobody would choose to struggle endlessly with daily symptoms so please try and take their experience as it is, without second guessing.

2. 𝗕𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 -try and understand their perspective. How would you feel if your life was dictated by symptoms... what would you say, think, do? Second positioning someone can be a really useful tool in navigating relationships with those who are chronically unwell.

3. 𝗕𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 - there may often be times where they cannot keep up with some of the things that they used to be able to 🏃🏼‍♀️do, so please practise patience with them, knowing that they wish more than ever to be the fully functioning person they once were.

4. 𝗧𝗼 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹f - if you don’t know much about what they are going through, educate yourself! The more you can understand about their condition/ situation, the better for your relationship.

5. 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 - empathy and understanding are such important principles when someone is struggling with chronic illness.

6. 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 - the last thing someone with chronic illness needs is ridicule and questioning. They are not making their situation up and endless questioning only incites more stress on their system, potentially leading to exacerbations in their symptoms and crashes. It adds an unnecessary psychological burden to the pain they are already suffering.

Who else in the #spoonie community needs more of this in their life?

For anyone with CFS or if you know someone with CFS, then I believe you will find this guide useful: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Your Route to Recovery: Solutions to Lift the Fog and Light the Way.