The Power of Peer Support: How to Build a Solid Network for Chronic Illness

Picture this: What is your knee-jerk reaction to asking for help on the hard days? Do you feel empowered when you reach out or see it as an inconvenience to others? Chronic illness can leave you feeling isolated, making it harder to reach out and include others in your journey. When you meet someone who has walked in your shoes before, the shared understanding of knowing that your experience is not as isolating as you once thought can be a game changer.

Your community is shaped by friends, family, coworkers, and the larger community around you. Peer support extends beyond your immediate support network, opening the door to new people who not only understand what you are going through, but who are also looking for support. Success in learning to manage a chronic illness is impacted by how closely you follow a self-care routine, and peer support can be a first step to feeling empowered. We want to give you the skills needed to break past the barrier to access support, together.

What is Peer Support?

Peer support is designed with you in mind, bridging the gap between people living with chronic illnesses to help manage your condition and feel connected. The goal of peer support groups is to provide you with a sense of belonging and reassurance as you walk through your journey. By creating a safe environment where you can share your experiences, thoughts and feelings, the hope is that you come away from the experience with better self-esteem and a desire to advocate for yourself.

Peer support can come in many forms including:

  • Professional-led groups with discussions with your peers
  • Peer-led self-management groups
  • Peer coaches and mentorship
  • In-person and online support groups

Your experience may just be the encouragement that your peers need to hear today, and sharing can create a sense of hope in learning to manage chronic illness. But where do you start?

How to build your chronic illness support network

Let’s start small: Who is in your support network right now? As you continue on your journey to living beyond chronic illness, your support network will change and adapt as you meet others who are walking this path with you. Let’s look at five easy tips to help you strengthen your immediate support network and how to grow when you are ready.

Be open and transparent

Your friends and family do not like seeing you struggling, just as much as you don’t want to go through chronic illness alone. Be honest with them about what help you need in the moment. Giving specific details helps to bring them into your journey and give them a better idea of what forms help can take. Just as you want to be seen, it’s important to reassure them that you see what they are doing and that you appreciate their desire to learn how to better support you.

Run to connection, not away from it

Looking beyond your immediate support group can open new doors to growing your community. Peer support groups are accessible, whether online or in person, and can be an easy way to meet new people and learn new strategies for managing your chronic illness. Did you know that joining a support group can help you to establish a routine for self-care? Getting connected is not limited to just in-person meetings, there are countless ways to get connected online! For more information, check out our previous blog post and get inspired.

It’s okay to not be okay

While it may be self-explanatory, you do not have to give a reason why when plans change last minute or when hard days hit. Pushing through to honour commitments for someone else’s benefit will not only lead to more burnout but can also encourage the desire to “fake it till you make it.” Take a breather, and try again when you feel ready, not when you think you have to be.

Goodbye expectations, hello grace

So plans didn’t go exactly as planned, or creating a routine and improving your self-management is taking longer than anticipated. This year, we are saying goodbye to expectations, and hello to showing grace to others and ourselves. You need to recognize that chronic illness strikes when it wants, not when it is welcomed, and that can impact the predictability of good days. At the end of the day, you’ve still got this!

Take time for self-care

Self-care is often viewed as being selfish, but the truth is far from it! Since 2018, self-care has become more common in response to fighting feelings of anxiety and depression and can help you learn to say no to always being on. Self-care activities are designed to help you take control of your chronic illness and find a balance between your mind and body. Self-care can be anything from taking a pause for a day of rest, going for a walk in nature, meditating, or being intentional in relationships. Your self-care routine will differ from someone else’s as it is anything refreshing for your soul.

Take a closer look at how self-care connects to chronic illness in our previous blog post.

Discover Peer Support Groups

Are you ready to take the plunge and grow in your chronic illness journey? At Supportegy Wellness Coaching, we offer a guiding hand so you don’t have to go through your journey alone, and we want you to see the impact you have just by being you. We offer large support groups, small groups, and 1-on-1 coaching sessions where you can connect with others living with chronic illness and learn about topics that interest you.

Looking for a flexible option? We have online support groups and a variety of resources to help you continue the conversation outside of group sessions. Interested in learning more and getting connected to a peer support group? Reach out today and meet your new community!

Learn more about group wellness coaching.

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