Identity Reborn: I Am Not My Illness
Your illness is part of your story, but it does not define you. Today, we reclaim identity beyond the struggle. Life is bigger than symptoms, and there’s a whole world waiting for you beyond the illness. Reconnecting with your passions, work, relationships, and fun allows you to step fully into the life you deserve.
Storytelling – Experiencing the Struggle
For months, I felt consumed by my illness: exhausted, fragile, limited. Every task felt monumental. Life moved around me while I struggled to simply get through the day. Yet, tiny sparks — a breath that felt lighter, a laugh that escaped, a moment of effortless movement — reminded me that life extended beyond the illness. Even in hardship, moments of life and joy persisted.
Empowering Insight – Identity, Secondary Gain, and Reconnection
Living through illness can create subtle traps: sometimes, we tie our identity or gain to suffering, known as secondary gain. Symptoms may bring attention, sympathy, or even career opportunities, but defining yourself by struggle limits growth.
The key: honor your experience without letting it consume your story. Life is a full wheel — work, relationships, hobbies, finances, health, family, personal growth, spirituality, and fun. Your illness is just one spoke. Reclaiming identity means reintegrating into the world through small steps: a conversation, a hobby, a walk with a friend — all actions that reconnect you with life’s rhythms and joys.
Life Integration Example – Career, Finances, and Health
For me, reintegration took many forms:
Career: Clinical hypnotherapist, life coach, NLP master practitioner, Human Resources business partner, Python programmer, and wellness content creator.
Finances: Authored books on wellness, ballet, hypnosis, and legal mindfulness; launched businesses and developed life coaching tracks for Silicon Valley startups; learned forex trading.
Health & Fun: Beyond detoxing, I practice yoga, dance (hip hop, ballet, and pole), surfing, and flexibility training. Life is about showing up, having fun, and reclaiming your joy — safely and intentionally.
Coaching Insight – Reclaiming Empowerment
Separating identity from illness is essential for long-term wellness. By reframing self-perception, you free yourself from limitation, reconnect with the world, and step fully into the broader life that awaits you.
Mini Exercise
Write “I am…” ten times, filling in qualities beyond your illness. Examples: I am strong, I am curious, I am resilient. Let this remind you that your identity is bigger than your current circumstances.
Try This
Whenever illness-related thoughts creep in, repeat: “I am more than my illness. I am whole.” Visualize stepping outside the shadow of sickness and taking your place in life — at work, in your passions, with your community, or even on the dance floor.