Helping Friends and Family Understand a Dynamic Disability -ep18

Listen in for today’s answer from Instagram follower** @richlydwelling… “How to help loved ones understand that you can’t do the same things they can.”

”We’re not faking to get attention, and we’re not lying to get attention. For most of us, there are so many things we want to do, but we can’t. So just have love and grace for those of us who have health issues. We already struggle with wishing we had a healthy body and are doing everything we can to feel better.” - Sarah Reid

Today’s episode is all about helping our friends and family understand what it’s like for those of us dealing with dynamic disabilities. In past episodes, we’ve talked about what it’s like living with a dynamic disability, so while some of the things mentioned today will sound familiar, the focus will be a little different.

Helpful takeaways for our loved ones from this episode:

Understand how a dynamic disability works. It’s like a rollercoaster ride of unpredictability. Most of us have symptoms that are constant. Sometimes they’re manageable. Other times they’re debilitating. And we never know when they’ll change. It can vary from day to day, and even from minute to minute.

Support us. One of the biggest ways you can show support for those of us in the disability community is to be flexible and go with the flow. Realize that we have no control over what our body does.

Be patient with us. Remember that we don’t always know how to explain what’s happening with our bodies. In addition to the physical aspect, we’re also processing emotional baggage, especially when we’re first diagnosed.

Believe us. We’re not lazy, and we’re not crazy. Sometimes we don’t even know how to explain what’s happening. And sometimes our bodies are trying to “help” us, but a disabled body doesn’t usually do a good job of that. This makes even simple tasks (like focusing or digesting food) a struggle and can leave us wiped out. (For more info on how this works, you can listen to podcast Episode 5: Fun with Functional Neurology where I interview my functional neurologist.)

Don’t compare us. A dynamic disability can affect everyone differently. Just because one person might have more stamina and can do more on their good days doesn’t mean someone else can. Maybe your barber's great aunt Betty's nephew has health issues and can drive, or the mailman’s daughter has health issues and can go to college, but that doesn’t mean that you can expect the same thing from your friend or family member and vice versa. For most of us, there are so many things we want to do, but we

** If you have a burning question you want me to answer in a future episode, feel free to dm me on my Instagram @be_potsitive!

Thanks for listening!

I’d love to hear from you! Connect with me on Instagram @be_potsitive And check out my chronic illness merch on Redbubble and Zazzle where you’ll find lots of cute items to make you smile and raise awareness for our community.