12 pillars of a gentle and compassionate chronic illness revolution

Last week was one of polarised emotions. Actually, it’s been like that for a few weeks; launching a thing has the ability to do that to you!!

One minute I’m in existential crisis mode; I have no clue what I’m doing or why I’m doing it, and the next minute (with huge thanks to the support of my business coach and pals) I’m moving through - with curiosity, without judgement - all the discomfort of crisis mode.

I’m coming out the other side super clear on the purpose of my work in a wider sense, but specifically of Your Chronic Illness Ally as that’s what I’m launching at the moment, and the fire of excitement - aka the future of chronic illness and what role I, and this work, plays in that - gets stoked.

I branded my website with something pretty scary/exciting at the end of last week (I love that feeling; remember me talking about scary/exciting and the nervous system a few episodes ago?)

I wrote; ‘Welcome to The Chronic Illness Revolution’… a really gentle and compassionate one

This launch and the season finale of my podcast has really encouraged me to think about what I envisage as the future of chronic illness, or more specifically, the future of how chronic illness is seen, understood and experienced.

I follow an artist, Sophie Tea, who embodies the future of the art world. She practically vibrates with the energy of just bloody doing it. And it’s so incredibly inspiring to watch her.

There’s so much to be said for ‘just bloody doing it’; not waiting for permission from the way things are currently done, or have been done, to take up space and wholeheartedly own it.

Watching her talk about what’s a reality for her and her art now, and how far removed that is from the systems and ways that weren’t a fit for her, twinged this feeling that’s been lingering within me; that somewhere, I have been waiting for permission to wholeheartedly own what is in fact, already happening.

I think somewhere in my head I was waiting for the whole way chronic illness is seen and viewed and treated - that status quo - to change, before I could say that this was real.

Which is totally ironic, because in YCIA, I talk about getting to feel better from exactly where your chronic illness is right now. Not waiting for it to be ‘healed’ or ‘less’ in any way, before you allow yourself to step into your full life with both feet.

So I’ve totally not been practicing what I preach, in terms of not waiting for the thens and whens. But now I know that I get to stand firm in the position that this is it. It’s it and it’s just the beginning. A whole system doesn’t need to change for change to happen. Change happens with one person - with one action - and it gets paid forward.

So, whilst I’ve been thinking all about how I see the future of chronic illness, I’ve realised it’s actually not about the future.

It is, in fact, a slightly belated, welcome. A welcome to The Chronic Illness Revolution that’s already in motion, albeit in a really gentle and compassionate way.

A Revolution that you’re already a part of, in varied capacities; through listening to these episodes, through my newsletters and blog posts, through my coaching, and through everyone else out there doing this work.

A change that’s already happening within you.

And, excuse me for minute… how incredibly exciting is that? I mean, does that excite you? Because it bloody excites me!

And, of course, whilst I’m here, I’m revolutionising the traditional sense of a revolution. Because this one has your energy, your nervous system, your chronic illness, your beautiful, brilliant self, at the centre of it all.

It’s slow, supportive, built on acceptance and compassion and peace and joy. It meets you where you are. It doesn’t require any energy from you to fight ‘the fight’ or overthrow any systems, and that goes for me and this work; the revolution in itself, too. It understands that change happens action by action, person by person, and the ripple effect of that is magic.

And it’s just here, open arms, ready to welcome your wonderful self.

I want you to know that you get to step into this change with your pinky toe first, with the lightest of steps. That you get to give it only the amount of energy that feels good to you to give right now. And that you’ll be held and supported every step of the way, not least by your body and chronic illness in and of itself.

And so, here’s a retrospective manifesto of sorts.

Welcome to the chronic illness revolution!

1. Recognise and celebrate the gifts of your chronic illness.

This is where the gifts of your chronic illness are celebrated; where I see the gifts in your chronic illness and teach you how to see the gifts in your chronic illness, too. Where you learn how to access the wisdom and intelligence of your chronic illness and your body as a whole, and embrace it as your guide, ally and superpower.

2. Establish, know and trust your boundaries.

This is where boundaries are encouraged; where your intuition and body sensations and vibrations - knowing what feels good to you, and what doesn’t - are trusted and influence how you move forward.

3. Don’t feel like you have to do it all alone… embrace help & support!

This is where support and asking for help is championed; where no shame, guilt or embarrassment about what you’re experiencing is implied or felt. Where you get to say ‘I’m finding this hard and I’d really like some help’, in whatever capacity that may be.

4. Share the fullness of your chronic illness experience with your close circle of peers.

This is where the chronic illness experience is shared and talked about (in a boundaried way!) Where you get to feel heard and ‘got’, and where you get to connect the dots. Where you know the way you’re feeling isn’t alien or unexplainable; it’s understandable, or that it’s possibly connected to the way you’ve believed you need to live with your chronic illness, and that there’s a way to be with and work through it.

5. Celebrate you and recognise your awesomeness!

This is where you get to see how absolutely incredible you are, just as you are. You get to see how, just by being you, by being deeply connected and at peace with your body, you contribute to the world, to this planet, to your community, and close unit of people in a way that’s really needed.

6. Don’t bypass or minimise your feelings or emotions.

This is where no feelings or experiences are bypassed; they’re welcomed, they’re valued, they’re understood. Whether it’s overwhelm, joy, fear, pleasure… this is where you get to be with all of them and yourself no matter what. This is where you get to learn how to do that in a way that doesn’t make you want to abandon yourself.

7. Take the rest you need and reframe it as a choice.

This is where you get to choose checking out of life outside of yourself, where you get to feel exhausted & do nothing, for however long you need to. Knowing that, not only is that OK, but that you get to be with yourself the whole way, and come out the other side when you’re ready.

8. Cultivate inner safety.

This is where you get to feel safe and at home within your body, knowing that it’s got your back. Where you feel and hold deeply, that your chronic illness is supporting you, protecting you, and communicating with you.

9. Acknowledge how the wisdom of your chronic illness empowers you.

This is where you get to feel empowered as a leader, as a great communicator, as a spectacular human. Leadership gets to mean whatever you want it to mean; you can be your leader, you can be a leader in your community, you can lead the way in doing something that matters to you. The gift, wisdom and intelligence of your chronic illness equips you splendidly for that.

10. Ask for what you need (and work out what that is) without guilt or shame.

This is where you get to call in, ask for, accept, do, what you need, without trying to fit yourself into boxes and capacities that aren’t designed for you.

11. Everything is figureoutable (thanks Marie Forleo).

And as an extension of that, this is where you have options and get help with figuring it out. Figuring out how your chronic illness fits in your life as a valued partner, and figuring out how your life works around you and everything that makes you, you.

12. Believe in your ability to thrive.

This is where you get to believe in your ability to thrive, being exactly who you are. This is where you get to thrive without condition. Like change, thriving happens one step, one action, at a time, and you’re already doing it.

All of who you are is welcomed, embraced and celebrated, and I couldn’t be more happy about it.

All of what I’ve talked about above is the very backbone of Your Chronic Illness Ally, and it’s only a smidge of what we do in the 12 month YCIA journey.

As a collective, we get to revolutionise, with complete gentleness and compassion, the way chronic illness is viewed, talked about and experienced.