Skip to content

Living with a chronic disease

Menu
  • Home
  • Everyday life
  • Relationships
  • Self-care
  • 10 questions
  • Be in touch
Menu

Celebrating the wins

Posted on 19 December 202028 February 2021 by Clotilde

Have you recently been out shopping, even if you were exhausted from your chronic disease? Or have you gone to school or work, even though you were in pain and had many symptoms? Congratulations, you can be proud of yourself! I hope that when you went to bed in the evening, you looked back on your day with satisfaction and pride, telling yourself that once again you had succeeded despite your illness. Even if what you did seemed insignificant or ridiculous. Even if you felt you had done little.

Celebrating the small wins of everyday life to move forward

Celebrating wins, even those that seem small, is crucial in a chronic disease to value what one manages to do, and thus not to focus on what is no longer possible. I am not talking about a blissful optimism that would ignore the reality of the situation. Celebrating one’s wins means realistically acknowledging that certain tasks or actions have become more difficult with the disease. It also means accepting this new situation. Finally, it means not letting yourself be overwhelmed by the disease, and continuing to move forward, even in the most difficult moments.

A win can be something simple, like going to the bakery to buy bread on a day when you feel dizzy, or something more complicated, like travelling in a wheelchair. But all victories will have that in common that they have been another opportunity to surpass oneself and one’s disease, to go beyond what we and others thought we could do. It is to say to oneself: “Yes, today I can be proud of myself, I did the best I could, given how I felt.”

Looking back to feel better

Celebrating your wins is based on this current trend, which advises people to look back at their day, noting the positive points, but placing more emphasis on what they manage to do in spite of their disease.

When I am not well, acknowledging what I’ve managed to do in spite of everything, allows me to lessen the temporary attack of depression caused by a deterioration in my physical condition. If I’ve managed to do at least one thing that was a bit beyond my physical limits of that day, I have less the feeling of a wasted day that I sometimes get on days when I’ve only managed to watch TV shows or read comic books…

When things are going better, the exercise of looking back has a dual purpose. First, it allows you to justify the symptoms that have increased at the end of the day because of too much activity – it’s a risk I easily succumb to – and thus to not completely forget that you are ill and that you must take care of yourself, even when you are feeling fine. Looking back on the wins is a means of improving self-esteem in the medium term. As a matter of fact, when I am feeling better, the wins are often greater, more impressive compared to the limits imposed by the illness. These are all things that will seem far away when my condition gets worse again. It always helps me in those moments, to think back on everything I’ve been able to do, thinking that it will come back, even though it may take some time.

Looking back on your wins also means taking care of yourself in the challenges you face because of the illness and not focusing only on the weaknesses caused by the disease. So, don’t hesitate any longer, celebrate your wins and be proud of yourself, of what you are doing despite and in spite of your disease!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Blog in other languages

  • Deutsch
  • Français

On social media

About

Hello! My name is Clotilde Aubet. I grew up and still live in Austria, even though I am French. I have had a chronic disease for more than 10 years now. In this blog, I want to share tips and ideas on how to live a fulfilling life with a chronic disease.

For more information, check out this page.

Newsletter

Be in touch

Legal information

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
© 2023 Living with a chronic disease | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Wir verwenden Cookies auf unserer Website, um Ihnen das relevanteste Erlebnis zu bieten, indem wir uns an Ihre Präferenzen und wiederholten Besuche erinnern. Indem Sie auf "Accept" klicken, erklären Sie sich mit der Verwendung von ALLEN Cookies einverstanden.
Nous utilisons des cookies sur notre site web pour vous offrir une expérience plus pertinente en mémorisant vos préférences et vos visites répétées. En cliquant sur "Accept", vous consentez à l'utilisation de TOUS les cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.

Diese Website verwendet Cookies, um Ihre Erfahrung zu verbessern, während Sie durch die Website navigieren. Von diesen werden die als notwendig eingestuften Cookies auf Ihrem Browser gespeichert, da sie für das Funktionieren der grundlegenden Funktionen der Website unerlässlich sind. Wir verwenden auch Cookies von Drittanbietern, die uns helfen zu analysieren und zu verstehen, wie Sie diese Website nutzen. Diese Cookies werden nur mit Ihrer Zustimmung in Ihrem Browser gespeichert. Sie haben auch die Möglichkeit, diese Cookies abzulehnen. Das Ablehnen einiger dieser Cookies kann jedoch Ihr Surferlebnis beeinträchtigen.

Ce site web utilise des cookies pour améliorer votre expérience lorsque vous naviguez sur le site. Parmi ceux-ci, les cookies classés comme nécessaires sont stockés sur votre navigateur car ils sont essentiels au fonctionnement des fonctionnalités de base du site web. Nous utilisons également des cookies de tiers qui nous aident à analyser et à comprendre comment vous utilisez ce site web. Ces cookies ne seront stockés dans votre navigateur qu'avec votre consentement. Vous avez également la possibilité de refuser ces cookies. Toutefois, la désactivation de certains de ces cookies peut affecter votre expérience de navigation.
Necessary
Always Enabled
ENG: Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information. // DE: Notwendige Cookies sind für das ordnungsgemäße Funktionieren der Website unbedingt erforderlich. Diese Kategorie umfasst nur Cookies, die grundlegende Funktionalitäten und Sicherheitsmerkmale der Website gewährleisten. Diese Cookies speichern keine persönlichen Informationen. // FR: Les cookies sont absolument nécessaires pour le bon fonctionnement du site web. Cette catégorie ne comprend que les cookies qui assurent les fonctionnalités de base et les fonctions de sécurité du site web. Ces cookies ne stockent aucune information personnelle.
Non-necessary
ENG: Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on the website. // DE: Als nicht notwendige Cookies werden alle Cookies bezeichnet, die für das Funktionieren der Website nicht unbedingt notwendig sind und speziell zur Sammlung von personenbezogenen Daten der Nutzer über Analysen, Anzeigen oder andere eingebettete Inhalte verwendet werden. Es ist zwingend erforderlich, die Zustimmung des Nutzers einzuholen, bevor Sie diese Cookies auf der Website einsetzen. // FR: Les cookies qui ne sont pas particulièrement nécessaires au fonctionnement du site web et qui sont utilisés spécifiquement pour collecter des données personnelles de l\'utilisateur par le biais d\'analyses, de publicités ou d\'autres contenus intégrés sont appelés cookies non nécessaires. Il est obligatoire d\'obtenir le consentement de l\'utilisateur avant de placer ces cookies sur le site web.
SAVE & ACCEPT