Stop Calling Me Fragile

I have a chronic illness, not a crack.

I’m different. I get it. But that doesn’t mean that I need to be “handled.” I don’t need to be placed on a shelf until the glue of the latest medication or fix dries. I have ways that I need to manage my illnesses. But I am not fragile.

I don’t want to be treated like I’m going to break. You know that I could. I know that I could. We don’t have to make it the center of our conversations or expectations every single day.

I am not flimsy. I fight a battle against a painful opponent every day, and I even thrive. I am not easily broken. If I were, I’d have given up a long time ago. But I’m still here.

I can do a lot of things.

I can write, and I even do it through the pain and panic most days. It’s what gives me wings when my body is grounded. It gives me lift when the gravity of illness pulls me down.

These are just two examples of how I can create things that bring value to the world around me, regardless of what my body is doing today. By putting me on a shelf to protect me you are doing the opposite. You are taking away my ability — my feelings of self worth.

Stop telling me that I can’t do what others do, that I can’t be what others are. You are putting a limit on my life that doesn’t need to be there. I don’t have to listen to it, and I won’t. Not anymore.

Anxiety, stop telling me lies.

If you struggle with feeling fragile and broken, haunted by the doubts and deceit that anxiety likes to spread, know that you are awesome. And you are loved.

Remind yourself that you can do more than some see when they look at you — even if that “they” is you. Remind yourself of the value you contribute to the world and the worth that is contained within you.

Tell yourself daily if you need to.

You can. You will. So do.

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