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Home » Articles » Inspiration
Illness, college and the balancing act
by Jenni Prokopy, the Editrix
I was asked recently to write about thriving at college in spite of chronic illness. And although I didn't get really sick until after graduation, I did have a recent experience that felt just like going back to school. Here are just a few thoughts that might help inspire you...I know the experience taught me a few things!
Although I’ve lived with chronic illness since I was young, I got through college without big symptoms; fibromyalgia, asthma, anxiety and the rest didn’t find me until after graduation.
But I recently had an experience that reminded me of college—and tested my strategies for managing illness during hectic times.
I flew to Austin, Texas to attend SXSWinteractive, a conference for folks who make the web happen. It felt like school: The hotel was a dorm full of interesting people I wanted to meet; I walked miles every day, from panel to panel through the huge convention center; I went to parties where I stood for hours and talked and drank (in moderation, I swear!); and every morning I dragged myself out of bed to do it all over again. (See how pooped I look in that picture above? It was still fun! That's Sam, Scott and Rob, some of my friends, and we're, um, drinking some beer. My pal Naz Hamid took the pic.)
The week was a terrific, tricky balancing act. One day my fibromyalgia flared and I stayed in bed, missing panels. I packed heavy, bringing extra medication (which I wound up needing). Some nights I took cabs just a few blocks because walking was too hard (friends chipped in). It was tough to absorb all the lessons, remember the new names and faces, rush to get everywhere on time…and still be my usual upbeat self even though I was exhausted and hurting.
Setting reasonable goals helped, as did asking for help and accepting that I couldn’t do EVERYTHING I wanted. By going with the flow and listening to my body (instead of lamenting what I sometimes missed) I had an open mind and heart; I learned a lot, met cool people, ate interesting food, laughed really hard—and made some great memories. I can’t wait to do it again next year!
Posted: 4/1/2009 in Inspiration | Also posted in: Coping
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