Chronic Illness Overdraft Protection

We have all winced a little when the overdraft email has hit our inbox. We have a backup for our finances, but chronic illness can feel like waking up every day already a depleted, as if your emotional bank account hasn’t seen a deposit in some time. Appointments, symptoms, insurance calls, and the quiet grief of limitation all make withdrawals. We even think the time waiting on hold isn’t draining our account, but it is. We still remember the travel, hikes, and long nights draining the emotional and physical reserves, but now a trip to Chipotle can wipe us out for a few hours. While we can’t borrow the depleted energy funds from others, we can be mindful of how we spend and how we create an overdraft protection for ourselves. The emotional overdraft protection means building in small, reliable deposits that keep you steady when the balance runs low. It might be a morning ritual that anchors you, a short walk if your body allows, a text thread with someone who understands, or a few pages in a journal where nothing has to be perfect. It will rhyme with peace and will demand very little from us in that moment. It is also knowing which thoughts drain you, beware of the negative ruminations, and choosing ones that offer calm or reassurance. It is allowing rest without guilt, shame, or blame and asking for help before you are completely spent. Over time you learn that resilience is less about pushing harder and more about tending to your reserves so that when a hard flare or hard day arrives, so you are not facing it empty handed. If we are all going to fall down at times, we need to remember to put on the knee pads before we hit the ground.

Dr. Jeffrey Bone