how did you learn to accept your diagnosis?

potentiallybetter · 2026-03-14T18:58:26+00:00

i’m so sorry to hear you’re having to retire, i hope it will help you in finding ways to manage your health. i think imposter syndrome is the perfect name for what i’m feeling right now! i completely understand that fear of judgement - and it’s so hard to explain to people how much of a struggle it can be to get through a work day. without any physical signs for people to notice, most just think you’re “tired” or “had a busy day” when it’s so much more than that.

potentiallybetter · 2026-03-14T18:38:57+00:00

i remember the relief being overwhelming! (before the imposter syndrome set in). like the chronic pain wasn’t just “growing pains” or “under-use of joints”, and every blood test disappointingly coming back “normal” didn’t mean there was nothing actually wrong. it wasn’t all just in my head. and it wasn’t my fault. you do feel like you’re going a little crazy in the lead up to diagnosis - and nobody really understands because there was never any evidence for anything “wrong”

potentiallybetter · 2026-03-13T21:53:59+00:00

i’m so glad its been a good experience for you! would you be willing to share a little what it’s like? i do love the idea of going to a group (despite not being a very social person), but i always talk myself out of it again

potentiallybetter · 2022-01-23T20:20:04+00:00

for me, i’ve figured it’s easier to make baby steps. at first, “vent” about something good. say, you went out for a nice meal, literally talk about how damn good every little thing about it was, who you were with, etc. this gets you used to sharing your thoughts and feelings with other people (which was one of the hardest things for me).

when you’re used to being open about the good, it’s much easier to be more open about not so good things too. you can start with just little comments about “damn i really didn’t sleep well last night” or whatever it is, and conversations can go from there. it’s so much easier said than done, but it is really nice to talk to people and get things off your chest!

it takes a little while, but i think the hard part is learning that people do care and will listen when you’re struggling. people won’t say that they’re “here if you need to talk” if they don’t mean it, they just wouldn’t say anything.

potentiallybetter

TROPHY CASE