Chronic pain and forging friendships
Chronic pain and making friends can be extremely difficult. I can honestly say that my last friendship with someone ended around 8 years ago. I would love to meet someone for coffee and a chat at least once a week or even once a month but there are days when my pain becomes so bad that I cannot leave the house. I think people who have never struggled with fibromyalgia and restless legs syndrome themselves have no understanding of the fear that struggling with chronic pain can cause along with the fatigue associated with chronic pain.
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| Image source - Pixabay |
Chronic pain for me has also lead to episodes of depression and this sometimes has made me become more distant from others and has had an impact on my ability to socialise. There are also days when I have suffered episodes of loneliness and just a feeling of sadness. I feel like I don't want to be a burden to others with my chronic pain as a lot of people want to go out and enjoy themselves after a long week of working which is understandable.
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| Image source - Pixabay |
Fibromyalgia and socialising
My fibromyalgia has caused me on occasion to be very frightened to leave my own house to even venture into town which makes meeting people extremely difficult. Even going to a local bar when I have chronic pain is difficult as I can only sit for a certain amount of time before I need to get up and stretch my legs. My restless legs syndrome started at the age of 24 and has been present for 10 years. I now have to plan my day very carefully when going out and if there is a change in my usual routine in anyway I have a tendency to panic which is not really conducive to making friends as sometimes people expect you to be able to meet up with them at a moment's notice.
Similar blogs
A blogger who goes by the name of Princess in the Tower has written a blog which I enjoyed reading entitled How to Cope When Chronic Pain Affects Family, Friends and Social Life. This blog addresses some of the points I have mentioned in my blog such as the problems chronic pain can cause with regards to socialising and planning ahead. In addition, a blogger who has named their blog Notebooks And Glasses has written an article entitled Chronic Pain and Socialising: The Things My Friends and Family Don?t Know which discusses the struggles they have to endure as a result of trying to socialise when suffering from chronic pain.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog.
How has chronic pain affected your friendships? Please leave a comment below.
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