5 things people with invisible diseases want us to know

People living with invisible diseases seem like they are perfectly alright. As a matter of fact, they are fighting a battle within themselves. Be it be a chronic disease, autoimmune disease, or even anxiety; all can fill their lives with misery and pain but many people don’t understand sufferings of those living with an invisible illness.

Apart from pain and misery these people feel, anxiety and depression are things they battle every day. Many people don’t understand it. Everyone has their own story.  Everyone goes through a different life path—different seasons, so to speak. It's easy to put on a smile and act like everything is peachy to get through the day, but at the end of that day your whole body can ache with sadness, with no explanation.

1- Just because you cannot see a pain, does not mean it is not there

On the outside, may be their pain is invisible; just because they learned to tolerate it or they don’t want to be labeled as “complainer”. You never know what they going through physically and mentally. Therefore it is bad idea to judge someone’s abilities based on their abilities. 

2- It’s hard for them to execute their plans

Their illness dictates their daily plans than they would like. Many invisible diseases can cause fatigue, depression and pain that appears at any point to time. Sometimes they have commitments but they lack the energy or make the pain subside enough to make it happen. This may seem inappropriate but they don’t mean it.

3- Their illness may affect their modes

Someone with an autoimmune disease such as lupus may look like anyone else who does not have a disease, but because their symptoms are almost internal. If they feel sad for no apparent reason it doesn’t they are getting attention. They mean it and they don’t need judgment, just to feel understood.

4- They like you to have empathy

The biggest thing one can do for someone with autoimmune disease is to be there for them. Not judge them, not pretend to understand, just believe them. When they share their experiences, give them a listening ear. Be there when they don’t want to go through them alone. 

5- They can feel very lonely and isolated

They may have a feeling that there is nobody to talk about what's going on, this may lead them to feel isolated and lonely. People with autoimmune diseases feel like no one understand them. So many sufferers are made to feel stupid when seeking help for their invisible illnesses, which makes them scared to try again. This ends up making them feel as though there really is nowhere to turn.