Chronic Condition: Checking How You're Doing

Adjusting to life with a chronic condition is a process. Many people feel anxious and uncertain at first. But with time, most will find ways to cope with their condition and their emotions about it.

Others find it harder to adjust. They continue to feel stuck and out of control. Feelings like these can make it hard to take good care of yourself.

It can be helpful to check in with yourself now and then to see how you're doing. These self-checks are a chance to reflect on how far you've come.

Self-checks can also help you recognize when you may need more help. This could keep a small problem from turning into a bigger one.

Doing a self-check

Now that you've had this condition for a while, it may be a good time to look back at your progress.

Here are some questions to ask yourself. It might be helpful to answer these questions with someone you trust so you can get another point of view about how things are going. You may want to write down your answers so you can refer back to them.

Questions to ask yourself

How well have I been following my treatment plan? Is anything getting in my way?




What's going really well? Is there something that I wish was going better?




Who have I connected with that I could ask for support if I need it?




How have I been sleeping? Am I eating well and being as active as I'd like to be?




How is my mood? How well am I coping?




How are you doing?

Based on the answers you gave, how would you say things are going at this point?

I'm doing well.

If you feel good about how things are going, that's great. You've found ways of coping that work for you. You can keep building on those strategies as you go forward.

I'm not too sure.

If you still feel a little unsure about how things are going, that's probably okay. There's no set timetable for adjusting to life with a chronic condition. Everyone finds their own ways of coping at their own pace.

Think about a day when you felt more sure than you do today. What was different about that day?

I'm not happy about how things are going.

If you feel that way, maybe you're having a bad day. That's normal from time to time.

If it isn't just one bad day, it may help to think of an area where you've made progress. Give yourself credit for your part in what's going well. And maybe you could make a list of things you're grateful for. Focusing on the good things in your life may help you feel more hopeful.

You might also want to think about what's helped you through other hard times. Is that something you could use this time to help you?

Nothing is going well.

If you feel sad or hopeless most of the time or you don't get pleasure from things you used to enjoy, tell your doctor. And reach out to someone who cares about you. Your health and happiness are important.