1. Get Educated
If you've been diagnosed with a chronic illness, it's time to get educated. Read everything you can about the cause, prevention and treatment of your illness. Learn what triggers the illness and how to minimize the effects of the illness. Learn about medications and side effects, alternative treatments that appear to work and those that don't. Find the best-qualified doctors who specialize in your illness. Search through medical libraries and go online to learn as much as you can about your illness.
2. Get Treatment
Begin treating your chronic illness as soon as possible. Early treatment can stop the progression of a chronic illness in some cases and reduce the overall severity of the illness in most cases. Treatment may be as simple as diet modification or as complex as surgery. Medications may be prescribed that require you to take them on time. Become proactive in your treatment and ask questions of your doctor if you don't understand something. Stay on top of your chronic illness and get to a doctor when you need to.
3. Get Down to a Healthy Weight
If you're overweight, lose it. Your body is stressed out enough with a chronic illness--if you're overweight you add even more physical stress to your body. Controlling your weight goes a long way to managing your chronic illness. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables increases the vitamins, minerals and nutrients your body needs to cope with a chronic illness. A healthy diet nourishes your body as you get down to a healthy weight.
4. Get Moving
Exercise gets your blood moving. During exercise, increased circulation carries oxygen-rich blood to your whole body. Exercise increases strength and endurance as it ushers nutrients into your body. A healthy body is better equipped to fight chronic illness. Even if your chronic illness causes decreased activity, simple range of motion exercises will increase blood flow throughout your body. Ride a bike, swim or dance; make exercise fun and not a chore. When exercise is fun, it's never exercise.
5. Get a Life
"Learn to live with it" may sound like trite advice, but it's actually good advice. You do have to learn to live with chronic illness so your life can continue as normally as possible. Socialize with family and friends, get a hobby, volunteer to help others or learn something new every day so you aren't dwelling on your illness. Live a full life so your chronic illness doesn't control you--you instead control it.
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