You're not alone if you feel lonely!

I've been thinking of what to write in this blog over the past few weeks and I've decided the first thing I want to tackle is...loneliness! One of the side effects of this illness can be loneliness.  When you lose the ability for months or years to barely leave the house, when you miss holidays, family gatherings, and social events for that long, it can be a challenge to feel connected with the rest of the world. 

As much as I wish there was a pill that would cure POTS, I also sometimes wish there was a pill for loneliness.  I think that some doctors would say that there IS such a drug and it's called an antidepressant!  :-) Bad attempt at a joke, I know!

My personal feeling on this is that for me, it is better to face the bad things head on, such as being lonely and to accept them.  I think it is OK to sometimes say, "I am terribly lonely and I feel despair that this may never end".  The fact is...this illness IS terribly isolating. I try to rationalize myself out of it at times by telling myself that others have things much worse than I do, and that is certainly true.  I suppose the phrase "misery loves company" has some meaning. 

But it doesn't ultimately help me to face and deal with the isolation that comes with having a dibilitating illness.  As if having POTS isn't bad enough, you also have to deal with watching life pass you by as you spend yet another day in the house which no matter how lovely, comes to feel almost like a prison because you can't leave. 

So, what to do when you are lonely and depressed?  Here's what I do:

1.  I cry!  Just let it out! This seems to help release some tension but it can also contribute to a massive headache so, use with caution!   It can also be a drag on other people to see me crying, so I try to do it when I am alone.  Which is easy to do since I am often alone. :-)
2. I try to refocus on something, ANYTHING, to get out of the funk.  Of course, it's limiting what I can focus on because I have POTS and it's hard to focus and I can't do anything physical.  But I've taken up reading, crocheting, and writing. Many of my friends have gotten scarves this year due to my loneliness.  :-)
3. I count my blessings of which I have many to remind myself that I do have other good things in my life even if my health isn't one of them.
4. I try to think of what I have to look forward to if I can ever get healthy.  I'd like to believe that trying to focus on positive outcomes impacts recovery.  I don't know if it actually does but it does help me to think that it does.
5.  I remind myself that tomorrow is another day.  Sometimes a day of being down in the dumps is followed by a day where I feel better.  Not every day is a bottomless pit, just some of them.  Usually.

The fact is, POTS can be a very lonely road sometimes.  I hope if you are reading this that it helps you to know that you are at least not alone in having POTS and that someone understands.  If you have any tips on battling the lonelies, please feel free to respond or email me.  Your post may help others and sometimes helping others will help you feel better too!