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Does a positive attitude help when your chronic illness becomes worse? Hmmm, let me think...

Have you ever been so angry or upset about something that it actually made you sick to your stomach? Have you been so worked up over some slight that everyone steered clear of you for fear of collateral damage? What about when your significant other sent you an unexpected bouquet of roses and told you he loved you more than life itself? Did you walk on air and not even notice the raging thunderstorm and the fight the kids were having in the background? If attitude makes a difference in everyday events, how could it be any different when connected to chronic illness?

When one is faced with pain or sickness, it often becomes hard to think about anything else. Life seems to revolve around the hurt and agony. In fact, it can become a seemingly neverending cycle - our bodies react to the stress of the illness by tightening muscles, which causes more pain, possibly higher blood pressure, and any number of other undesirable symptoms. These added negative symptoms cause us added concern, and the cycle continues.

It is not easy to break out of this cycle, particularly if the pain and/or illness is severe and debilitating; however, if even a part of one's thoughts can be directed to positive things like helping others, endorphins are released in the brain which can positively effect the emotions as well as reduce levels of pain. Additionally, the simple act of redirecting one's thoughts from "me and my pain and discomfort" to acts of kindness toward others, opportunities to be productive through one's career, ways to create something significant and lasting - these things, even if they don't solve the chronic illness, will bring a greater degree of joy to one's existence.

Finally, think about the people you've been around who have persistently negative attitudes. They complain about the weather. They complain about their boss. They complain about the in-laws. They complain about religion, and politics, and kids today, and the food in restaurants, and well, you get the picture. How often do you find yourself racing for the telephone to invite these people over for dinner and a pleasant conversation? What's that? Never? Ah, right. But those people who like to laugh, enjoy hearing about your exploits and telling you about theirs, smile readily at appropriate times, but also lend a friendly ear or shoulder when difficult times intrude - those are the people we all like to be around. Those are the people we need to be around. And if we are those people, our support systems will remain strong when chronic illness or pain of any kind rears up its ugly head.

Yes, indeed, attitude makes a world of difference, and it's best to see to it that we concentrate on letting it make a "positive" difference even when the going gets rough.

Learn more about this author, Karen Loss.
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