I have a lot of online friends, I have more online friends
than I have friends that I could meet up with on a daily, weekly or monthly
basis as most of my internet friends live in different countries. I really want
to meet them at some point but at this current time it is pretty impossible. I
also have internet friends who do live more locally but again I cant really
travel, any travelling of any sort would have to be well thought out with tons
of preparation even if it was only a few hours away.
Although I may never get to meet some of these friends or
may spend little time with them I feel very lucky to have them in my life &
to be able to share my experiences with them as most of them also suffer
chronic illnesses or health conditions. People always tell you not to talk to
strangers online because they could be creeps, this is true you do need to be extremely careful but for
someone who can’t get out being able to
talk to people even if you cant see them makes a huge positive impact.
Social media has given me a platform where I don’t feel so
alone, I can see others going through the same as me & it makes me feel a
lot less isolated I got to a point where I felt like none at all understood me
and that no one felt the same so I created a chronic illness instagram account
this has really helped me except that I am ill and that it doesn’t have to be
all bad.
Seeing others posts allows me to see what has worked for
them but also allows me to give advice to others as well as receiving it, this
makes me feel sort of useful, I’m also currently trying to get involved in as
many chronic illness projects as I can,Ive just finished writing a piece for a
book a chronic illness website is putting together. This website isn’t finished
yet but seeing it all come together really excites me, there plan is to create
online groups within the website that you can join, I’m not currently really
apart of anything because I can hardly get out but this is going to give me a
chance to talk to more people, make more friends, feel even less isolated and
hopefully work with some of these people on projects or listen to their stories
making me able to write stories about chronic illness that are more accurate to
real life.
Support groups/ websites are really helpful and useful to a
lot of people for many reasons but I do really feel that without them mentally
I would definitely be in much worse place.
Having some sort of idea of these peoples stories gives me
more hope for my own,Ive said it before but at some point I would love to write
other peoples stories either as real stories or use them in fictional ones.
It’s made me be more open about my struggles and less scared of them.
I would also like to shout out all my fandom friends who
have also been so sweet and supportive and seem to understand me when I explain
what is going on in my life. All the people who have messaged me or commented
on things when I’m sharing my struggles or achievements and for constantly
being there but also for being friends that the reason we are friends isn’t
because of illness but because we share the same interests, being able to have something
else to focus on & talk about works great as a distraction so having this
is really good for me,I don’t open up to a lot of people especially if they aren’t
facing the same or similar things but you guys have been really good to me you’re
family.
If any of my online friends are reading this weather you be
from a chronic illness page or a fandom friend first off I love you more than
you could ever know, thank you for cheering me on from afar, thank you for
being some of the only people who ask after me and for being their. I hope if
we haven’t met that one day we do get to meet. I also hope that if we have met that
we get to spend more time together one day, probably when I’m more awake so I
don’t fall asleep in your presence. I hope I have been able to lift you up as
much as you have me, if I haven’t I hope one day I do.
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