Relationships are a vital part of life that can contribute to your overall health and well-being. For chronic illness warriors, isolation and loneliness caused by a lack of friendship can be harmful to their mental, emotional and physical health.  Since relationships can have both a positive and negative impact, it is important to create relationships with intention and a mutual understanding of how chronic illness impacts social life.

In this episode, Rachelle Friedman, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, shares her journey as a chronic illness warrior living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and mast cell activation syndrome. She explains how she helps her clients to cope with the mental and emotional impact of chronic illness, advocate for themselves and create relationships with intention.

Review of Episode (time stamped):

3:10 – Rachelle describes the “roller coaster” of chronic illness.

6:13 – Her personal journey to diagnosis and how therapy helped her.

9:46 –She describes what advocacy can look like, and how she teaches her clients to communicate with doctors.

16:08 – How to create relationships with intention and cope with the loneliness of chronic illness.

22:46 – She describes how a dark sense of humor can actually help relationships.

26:37 – What is Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and mast cell activation syndrome?

Guest Bio:

Rachelle Friedman, LCSW, works with individuals, and couples living with chronic pain and illness, neurodivergence, grief, anxiety, and trauma. She helps her clients form individualized therapeutic treatment and create relationships with intention. Rachelle is a therapist who understands that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to healing.  As a disabled therapist, she understands the role that our body and brain play in our day-to-day life. Her goal is to use her understanding of the brain and therapy to help you heal and find comfort in the most effective way possible.

Guest links:

Website:

brainysocialworker.org

Twitter:

Host:

Catina Morrison is a registered nurse, Chronic Illness Coach and Founder and CEO of Nurse Loves Essentials LLC. Her chronic illness journey and experiences with the healthcare system fueled her passion for assisting women who live with chronic illnesses. She now takes her more than 2 decades of experience in healthcare and life with multiple chronic illnesses to assist women to walk in their purpose, self-advocate, and achieve strategic growth in life, health, business and career. It is her aim to ensure that women living with chronic illnesses will learn to stop hiding and start thriving in all aspects of life.

Social Media Links:

Website - https://www.nurselovesessentials.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/iam_catinamorrison/

Twitter - https://twitter.https://www.facebook.com/nurselovesessentials/com/NurseLoves

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nurselovesessentials/

Now available on most podcast outlets and YouTube.

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