If you pay attention to your body, you’ll notice that these changes have their own rhythms. For instance, you might feel different in the morning compared to the evening.
Symptoms can also change with cycles, like during your menstrual cycle or as the seasons change.
As you grow older, your body changes too.
Dealing with Uncertainty
When something like an illness comes along, it reminds us that we are not always in control. Illness brings worries about the future. Perhaps whether you’ll have enough money or if your plans will still work out.
Accepting where you are in the bigger picture of change is helpful. It helps you relax and be kind to yourself. This includes accepting that life sometimes needs to slow down, and priorities might have to change.
Acceptance doesn’t mean you’re giving up; it’s a smart move. Things aren’t fixed, and as you learn and grow, it is natural to adjust your expectations and make new choices.
Acceptance helps you shift out of emergency mode and find realistic ways to feel better.
Medical uncertainty
You might come across doctors or other healthcare professionals who are not comfortable accepting the uncertainty that comes with functional somatic symptoms.
Without a medical test, they can not confidently tell you that they know what is causing your symptoms.
The uncertainties brought by illness can be deeper when there is medical uncertainty surrounding what is going on for you.
We can react to uncertainty in two ways:
1. Resisting/fixing:
If we try to fight against illness, this puts the body into emergency mode.
The stress responsive systems of the body keep in a state of high alert as we urgently search for a fix to make what is happening stop or go away.
This strategy can be exhausting and usually makes symptoms worse.
2. Accepting Change:
Alternatively we can allow symptoms to be there (for now) and accept the ups and downs of illness as part of life.
Your body and your symptoms,will keep changing.
We can begin to see the positive potential in this constant change.
What does acceptance look like
Accepting where you are in the bigger picture of change includes accepting that life sometimes needs to slow down, and priorities might have to change.
Acceptance helps you shift out of emergency mode which calms the mind and helps us to have a clear view of the current situation, which will open realistic routes to recovery.
You can acknowledge that things aren’t fixed, and as you learn and grow, it is natural to adjust your expectations and make new choices.
Terence's experience
Accepting the fact that though I feel better today, I might feel a little worse later, has been important.
However, if I chart my progress over time, it has indeed been a steady move forward. It’s been important to look at the bigger picture in recovery, as opposed to the day to day picture I am used to looking at when recovering from a common illness such as flu.
Whereas I was initially in a state of panic and confusion over symptoms, I can now reassure myself that this will pass and I will feel better.
