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Writer's pictureSuzanne Warren

Having a Long Term Health Condition or disability can make progress seem slow & motivation can drop



Ruby Warner, the author of ‘Little Moments of light’ and Instagram page owner of @worrywellbeing is often promoted through Action For Happiness. This quote is particularly poignant for those living with chronic illnesses.


Progress if any can be slow — frustrating — fluctuates and affects our motivation and drive for life. The endless challenges and battles make every day seem like a war with our minds and bodies.


As Warner states ‘shaming yourself for what you don’t accomplish’ is unhelpful. Monitoring and reminding yourself of what you have done and the progress made is more beneficial. Hard to do — sometimes hard to spot — a friendly eye can help.


Perhaps a family member, friend or member of your medical team. They are more likely to spot small changes and see through any ‘front’ that you put on to make people think everything is fine.


For added inspiration Biotene reports eight different ways to help stay motivated when you have a long-term medical condition which are:

  • reminding yourself that you are not alone

  • getting the support you need

  • managing all the symptoms you can

  • making little goals

  • focusing on the quality of your life

  • keeping a gratitude journal

  • allowing the illness to make you stronger and

  • not letting your illness define who you are

Easy to write — easy to say — hard to implement. Striving for what we want can push us too far — sometimes the lack of perceived progression can see us spiralling — mental health becomes a focus.


The key to success is staying strong mentally — getting our support network — ensuring our goals are achievable. Then we can make gains — small steps — journals and logs are a great resource. Creating vision boards — knowing where we are heading will help and understanding how far we can get is also important.



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