Battling Our Demons: The Emotional Impact Of Spondyloarthritis

• • Denial/Shock: “This isn’t happening, it will go away.” This is a normal, self-protective mechanism that occurs when you feel overwhelmed by receiving difficult news such as a medical diagnosis, death, or accident.
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• • Anger: “This isn’t fair! I didn’t do anything to deserve this!” This is one of the most common emotions that may occur after the denial and shock have subsided. Beneath the anger is deep emotional pain, which can lead to questions like, “Why me?” For some individuals, the anger can result in emotional outbursts toward family, friends, physicians, coworkers, and even God.
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• • Bargaining: “Please don’t let this ruin my life,” or “If you make the pain go away, I promise I’ll be a better person.” During this stage, we begin to make promises or bargain with ourselves, others, or a higher power, vowing to do anything that might make the pain stop. Some people find themselves trying to negotiate their way out of the hurt and pain by reflecting on their past.
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• • Depression/Grief/Anxiety: “People our age shouldn’t have to deal with things like this.” “I’m not prepared to be disabled—I have things I want to do.” “How will I support myself/my family?” or, “I’m going to be in pain forever, so why even bother?.” Once we begin accepting the reality of the situation and are emotionally more aware, we may start to feel depression or anxiety settle in. Spondyloarthritis is a lifelong, chronic illness that is often diagnosed during the prime of our life. It can have a substantial impact on our livelihood, and result in considerable changes to our lifestyle. And we feel the loss. We may experience feelings of sadness, grief, and anxiety over the loss of a career, the loss of a physical ability, lower energy levels, and decreased ability to take part in social activities or connect with loved ones due to the illness.
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• • Acceptance: “I’m not going to let this disease define me. I will learn to deal with this the best I can.” During this stage we begin to accept the situation and reevaluate our expectations for the future and the new normal for our life. We recognize that we cannot live exactly the way we used to live, be who we used to be, or become who we thought we’d become—but we can adapt and move forward nonetheless.

Research shows that stress and negativity can impact a person’s emotional wellbeing and worsen chronic illness. For example, an increase in stress hormones can lead to inflammation in the body, causing symptoms to become more severe. Shifting your attitude and perceptions by focusing on the positive aspects of the day rather than the negative, will help emotionally as well as physiologically.  

There are ways to help reduce emotional stress and instability. Initially, it’ important to spend some time processing your emotions and evaluating the feelings brought on by your diagnosis. It is okay to take additional time if needed to fully heal.  

Here are some concrete tools to help reduce emotional stress: