Living Well with Multiple Illnesses

How to Cope with Multiple Health Conditions

Remember the adage "practice what you preach"? Everything I share with you is based on my lived experiences. You may notice I use the word ‘practice’ and ‘try’ a great deal on my website. I use the skills and approaches I share with you, but I do not live them perfectly. Some days, I practice one or two skills, some days, I try more.

4 Steps to Coping with Health Issues

• Every morning I say "Thank you Creator for another day." The gratitude rule is key. How do you express gratitude?
• I try to live by the 80% rule which means I don't focus on perfection when managing my diseases.
• I also use the try rule which puts less pressure on me.
• I try to live by the 5+5 rule which helps me focus on what I can do, not what I can't do.

Diverse and Inclusive Skills for Health

We need to de-stigmatize what it means to live with disease. I live with Type I Diabetes, Celiac Disease and Depression and Anxiety. I do not see one as a physical disease and another as a psychological disease. Type I Diabetes and Depression are both medical diseases, as are Celiac Disease and Anxiety. And because I live with multiple illnesses, I need diverse and inclusive skills to manage them all, whether individually or collectively.

• I practice Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills.
• I practice the skills I learned from the resilience-focused psychology of the Circle of Courage.

The skills and approaches I use to manage my chronic illnesses are not prescriptions. I am sharing what I have learned and what works for me. My Tibetan Buddhist teacher once told me, “I do not sit on many cushions when I teach you the Dharma. If I falter, I will not fall too far down.”

Testimonials