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Chronic illness can impact your self-worth. In my new post for Mango Health, I write about how this happens and what you can do to build self-esteem:

“Your body is supposed to work with you. More than that, it should do what you want, smoothly and efficiently following the electrical impulses from your brain. It is the one thing in which you can have total confidence; the one thing that will never abandon you.

Except when you have a chronic illness or other medical condition. All of a sudden, your body is working against you, refusing to do what you want, and moving in a way that is anything but effortless. It is devastating. Instead of being able to rely on yourself, part of who you are abandons ship just when you need it most. It can feel like the ultimate betrayal.

A sense of self-worth is based in your image of yourself. When that image becomes fractured and broken, so does your self-esteem. When your illness affects your ability to do your job, be there for your loved ones, or heartbreakingly, even lift your toddler, how can you have any worth? And so, your self-esteem spirals down, making it that much harder to cope.”

Read more about building self-esteem with chronic illness on the Mango Health blog.