Prison and Promise - The Challenge of Long Term Illness

a post from the Mind and Soul Foundation


As part of the various roles I have held, I’ve had the amazing privilege to journey with people through all kinds of challenges life can throw. Bereavement, redundancy, tragedy - if there’s one thing I have learned in 20 odd years as a medic, psychologist and church leader, it is that no matter who you are, and how you live life, it can throw storms at you. But perhaps one of the cruellest situations to find yourself in is one that often goes unnoticed by many - that can slip into the background or fall out of focus for even close friends or family - and that is long term illness.

But apart from the obvious - not being well - what is it about long term illness which makes it such a tough journey? And how does this impact on our mental health and wellbeing?

These are really important questions, so I want to unpack them in this, the first of three articles thinking about the challenges of long term illness.

There are three things, aside from the original illness that typically make life tougher when you are unwell over a longer period of time.

(1) Isolation
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(2) Emotional/Mental Health Impact
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(3) Treatment and Care
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Long term illness sucks - finding that your own body suddenly becomes the thing that limits you and holds you back from the things you long to be doing. But there are ways to manage the challenges it brings - to find the promise and potential even within pain and challenge.