[trigger warning: examples of ableism] Shit Healthy People Say To The (Physically) Chronically Ill
"
- “But you don’t look sick…"
- “It’s probably just stress."
- “It’s all in your head. Think healthy and you’ll be healthy."
- “Pray hard enough to Jesus and he’ll make it go away."
- “You’re SO lucky you just get to hang out all day! I’d LOVE to do that."
- “Have you tried taking this multivitamin/supplement/herb found in a special tree from the amazon/goat cheese/grass? I heard it can cure anything."
- “You should exercise more."
- “You should take a nap."
- “You’re probably just tired."
- “Are you drunk?"
- “Are you high?"
- “You just need a good doctor."
- “Stop being so lazy!"
- “Why are you ignoring me?! I just wanted to go clubbing, God!"
- “If you’re REALLY sick then how come you were able to…… go to a friend’s house that one day/sit on a bench at the park that one day/get out of bed and take a shower that one day/talk to your friend on the phone for more than 5 minutes/laugh and smile like you weren’t sick that one day."
- “It’s not like, contagious right?"
- “Ugh, I hate being tired too but I push through it."
- “Maybe, if you just pushed yourself hard enough…."
I wanted to write these out because it’s so important for people who are not chronically ill to see how ridiculous and hurtful these kind of statements are. Being chronically ill is nothing like having a cold, being hung over or just being generally tired from lack of good sleep.
Truth is; if you haven’t been chronically ill, you don’t know what it is like.
These are the things people say to your face. Can you imagine what they say behind your back when you’re not around? If you’re chronically ill, what kind of things have people said to you?
