Identity can be very tied up with wellness. There is a debate in psychology circles about whether or not its a good thing for illness/disability to become part of our identity. People with lived experience support both sides of the debate, e.g. “I can no longer separate who I am now with having me/cfs, so yes its part of my identity that feels helpful to acknowledge in my day to say life” vs “I am not my diagnosis, and when people find out its as if the rest of my identity disappears, which is infuriating and dehumanizing”. I personally find the argument that we are only sick because we’ve accepted a label simplistic and insulting.
Thank you for pointing out the spectrum of views around whether it's helpful to include an illness/disability as part of our identity. I've held both viewpoints, one or the other at various times. It feels like there is a balancing act of what is helpful at any particular point on an individual journey. And I agree totally with your last point — it is nonsensical and harmful to say that someone's sickness came from accepting a diagnosis. From what I've seen, acceptance is a critical milestone to embracing and exploring treatments and habits that could potentially help.
Identity can be very tied up with wellness. There is a debate in psychology circles about whether or not its a good thing for illness/disability to become part of our identity. People with lived experience support both sides of the debate, e.g. “I can no longer separate who I am now with having me/cfs, so yes its part of my identity that feels helpful to acknowledge in my day to say life” vs “I am not my diagnosis, and when people find out its as if the rest of my identity disappears, which is infuriating and dehumanizing”. I personally find the argument that we are only sick because we’ve accepted a label simplistic and insulting.
Thank you for pointing out the spectrum of views around whether it's helpful to include an illness/disability as part of our identity. I've held both viewpoints, one or the other at various times. It feels like there is a balancing act of what is helpful at any particular point on an individual journey. And I agree totally with your last point — it is nonsensical and harmful to say that someone's sickness came from accepting a diagnosis. From what I've seen, acceptance is a critical milestone to embracing and exploring treatments and habits that could potentially help.