Our heart and lungs belong to our body, but our mood belongs to our mind; that’s what we all convinced ourselves, right? But when we have any chronic illness, that separation gets blurred.
When we live with a chronic condition like diabetes, arthritis, or heart disease, not only do we have to live with the symptoms all year round, but it also changes how we see ourselves. Let’s explore the why and how behind this mind-body connection and what we can actually do about it.
How chronic inflammation dulls everything around you
When we start living with the symptoms of chronic diseases for years, our body stays chronically inflamed. And this inflames our brain as well. This changes us in several ways:
We lose touch with who we used to be
When we are living with chronic diseases like Multiple Sclerosis or certain cancers, it’s very hard to imagine a future and see tomorrow as anything different. Without any anchor to hold onto, it’s easy to forget what ‘normal you’ even felt like.
We internalize shame for an illness that doesn’t always show
For many chronic diseases, like POTS, endometriosis or long COVID, there are good days and there are very bad days when all the symptoms flare up. So these diseases are not visible to our families and friends like a burn injury is. So, besides suffering from the disease itself, you have to constantly think of ways to prove that your disease is real. This internalized shame worsens our depression, and we feel like we are failures.
Our brain reward system changes (and we forget how to want things)
There’s a region in our brain called the ventral striatum that lights up when we are expecting something fun and we think, “Oh, that sounds nice!” But when we are suffering physically for years, that system starts to dim. Even on the days when your body feels okay, your brain can’t gather the energy to care.
This is why depression in chronic illness is not just an emotional response to being sick. It’s our body and our identity working against us at once, rewriting how our brain itself functions.
Who’s Most at Risk and Why It Hits Some Harder
Women often get hit harder by the emotional exhaustion that comes with living with chronic illness, not just because of hormones or higher pain sensitivity, but because society tells them not to be “too dramatic.”
Also, if you’re trying to hold onto your job while managing a chronic illness, your body is begging for rest while your boss is expecting you in that 9 AM meeting. Every workday becomes an exhausting performance of “I’m fine” when you’re anything but.
However, there are many flexible options like Online Yoga Classes in Nagpur or in Delhi that can help office workers with chronic illness practice relaxing meditation during lunch breaks or before those 9 AM meetings. These are also great for doing light movement without the pressure of googling “Good yoga classes near me,” which are hard to fit into your already tight schedule.
How to Take Back Control from Chronic Illness
Learning to bend instead of break:
It’s about finding ways to stay connected to what gives your life meaning, even when the path looks completely different from what you planned.
Bending might mean adapting how you move your body like switching from high-intensity workouts to some light, gentle movement – like online yoga classes in Nagpur or anywhere in the world, that let you pause when needed so that you don’t overexert.
Use technology to connect with people who really understand you
There are many online health communities on Facebook where people can hear you in a way that often our friends and families can’t.
Beyond support groups, look for “Good Yoga Classes Near Me” that understand chronic conditions, where you can move your body without having to hide your limitations.
Remind yourself you have a life outside your doctor’s chamber
Remind yourself you have a life outside of doctor’s appointments by going out whenever you can. It helps you reclaim your identity as a whole person, not just a patient with a diagnosis
Finding your mental well-being while living with a long-term disease is not a neat, linear journey. It’s messy. It’s complicated. But it’s real- and it actually works.
For more, visit Pure Magazine
