I'm sure you have heard the phrase "quality of life" because most people use it as a catchall term without any idea of what it means. The use of such familiar language may seem to make for an effective communication (surely we all know what a good quality of life is). But, when you are diagnosed with a chronic health condition that ultimately changes you and your circumstances, this type of superficial language can leave you feeling worse rather than better, even if it's meant to be encouraging. When people ask you "How soon will you be back to normal?" it can crush you, because those of us with chronic illnesses now have a new "normal". The people who say these things, really don't mean any harm, they just don't realize that you will never fit into their idea of being normal. I've always asked myself "What is normal?" What's normal to you may not be what I consider to be normal.
In the broad sense, quality of life has to do with the relationship between our traits and our states. Traits are our abilities and the aspects of our temperament. Intelligence and the capacity to solve problems are traits, but so are irritability, excitability, and optimism. Do you see a glass half full or half empty? These ways of viewing the world are all traits.
States are circumstances and unlike traits, which stay pretty consistent throughout life, our states change from time to time. Changes in our state or circumstances, that is people with chronic illness, is being diagnosed with a chronic illness, living with the demands of treatments, and experiencing the progress of the chronic illness.
We deal with circumstances by relying on our abilities, so the quality of life can be seen as a measure of how well our abilities can accommodate our changing circumstances. Another way of putting it is to say it is that our quality of life depends on how well we can adapt new circumstances into our lives, into our ideas about who we are. When you are diagnosed with a chronic illness you are no longer the person you were. You start to doubt yourself, the things that were important to you before your illness are pushed to the back and now you have new priorities.
When you have arthritis, you try to identify or define what "quality of life" means to you, it helps to know that there are markers along the way. Understanding what to look for and how to read these markers allows you to experience the new rules with full awareness and the ability to navigate those rules with a greater sense of safety and to master those new rules. Quality of life has many levels and you need to think of those levels as quality of life markers. In relation to arthritis those levels or markers to consider are your functional ability, symptom management, tolerance of depression and anxiety, pain control, social integration, health and well-being, happiness, treatment strain, and life satisfaction. These are common to those of us who have arthritis, but how each of us reacts to and deals with them is personal and has far-reaching implications on quality of life.
In the broad sense, quality of life has to do with the relationship between our traits and our states. Traits are our abilities and the aspects of our temperament. Intelligence and the capacity to solve problems are traits, but so are irritability, excitability, and optimism. Do you see a glass half full or half empty? These ways of viewing the world are all traits.
States are circumstances and unlike traits, which stay pretty consistent throughout life, our states change from time to time. Changes in our state or circumstances, that is people with chronic illness, is being diagnosed with a chronic illness, living with the demands of treatments, and experiencing the progress of the chronic illness.
We deal with circumstances by relying on our abilities, so the quality of life can be seen as a measure of how well our abilities can accommodate our changing circumstances. Another way of putting it is to say it is that our quality of life depends on how well we can adapt new circumstances into our lives, into our ideas about who we are. When you are diagnosed with a chronic illness you are no longer the person you were. You start to doubt yourself, the things that were important to you before your illness are pushed to the back and now you have new priorities.
When you have arthritis, you try to identify or define what "quality of life" means to you, it helps to know that there are markers along the way. Understanding what to look for and how to read these markers allows you to experience the new rules with full awareness and the ability to navigate those rules with a greater sense of safety and to master those new rules. Quality of life has many levels and you need to think of those levels as quality of life markers. In relation to arthritis those levels or markers to consider are your functional ability, symptom management, tolerance of depression and anxiety, pain control, social integration, health and well-being, happiness, treatment strain, and life satisfaction. These are common to those of us who have arthritis, but how each of us reacts to and deals with them is personal and has far-reaching implications on quality of life.
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