Forget about your romantic status for a sec. Regardless of whether you’re happily paired or single and looking, we want to take a moment this Valentine’s Day season to acknowledge the roller coaster of emotions that people living with chronic illness face every day. On good days — or weeks, or months — there can be bursts of positivity: confidence, gratitude, relief, excitement, contentment, love. But more often than not, there’s a steady drumbeat of feelings of guilt, self doubt, anxiety, fear, loneliness, sadness, anger, defeat, frustration, loss.
It’s so easy to bury the negative emotions or feel as though you don’t have a place or a community to share them with without sounding like a Debbie Downer or a chronic complainer. That’s what sparked this idea: to ask our CreakyJoints community for the messages of encouragement for each other that they wish they could put on a candy conversation heart.
The responses were bountiful and beautiful. We curated 29 of our favorites into this list — one for each day of February this year — to give you a monthlong warm hug of love and support. We get you. You’re not alone. We’re always here.
I Believe You
Breathe
Feel Peace
Just Keep Going
More Than a Patient
You’re Not Alone
Rest
Support Each Other
Rest Some More
Motion Is Lotion
Nap Time
I Can
Gentle Hugs
Ice Pack
Cure Me
Call Me
Walk
New Paths
Keep Fighting
Listen to Your Body
You Got This
Take Your Time
Speak Kindness
Hydrate
Stretch
You Are Brave
I See You
This Too Shall Pass
Prioritize
Not Sure What’s Causing Your Pain?
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