Finding an Online Support Community
It’s widely known that having a sense of community — in any facet of your life — can have great benefits for your physical, mental, and psychological state. People are inherently social creatures who crave relationships with others. Camaraderie is essential to our well-being, especially when coping with a difficult cancer or chronic illness diagnosis. Here are some of the benefits of being a part of an online community for your illness.
Coping with cancer or chronic illness is often isolating. You’re experiencing unique challenges on a daily basis, and it can be hard to vocalize these experiences and feelings to individuals who may not fully understand what you’re going through. Because of this, it’s not uncommon to feel distant from your loved ones — no matter how much they support and care for you.
How can online communities help?
Finding a community specific to your chronic illness can help you build a support system and find like-minded people who both validate and understand what you are going through. Simply experiencing that sense of belonging can give patients a big sigh of relief.
Apart from that sense of connection, online communities also offer the opportunity to learn from others’ experiences, spread knowledge and tips related to your condition, and share tangible resources. These virtual groups are accessible platforms for people with niche diseases to collaborate and help each other, despite physical barriers. Whether it’s getting tips for managing a specific medication side effect or sharing motivational anecdotes, patient communities often offer insight and support that family or doctors can’t quite provide on their own.
The bottom line is that you do not need to go through this alone.
There’s no shame in building a team to help get you through your journey. Right now, this may consist of your family, friends, doctors, and nurses. But consider expanding your support system to those out there that share similar experiences. From connecting on social media pages to attending online support groups, there are many ways that you can find a community that makes sense for you — wherever you are in your journey.
If you’re looking for a group to join, Wave Health has its very own private Facebook group where you can connect with others, share your story, and ask questions related to your condition. Remember that we’re here for you as you cope and move through your treatment journey.
Sources: National Council on Aging, Wellbeing People, Forbes
