Emotional Autoimmunity: Dealing with the emotional issues of chronic illness cover logo

Managing your energy with chronic illness

54m · Emotional Autoimmunity: Dealing with the emotional issues of chronic illness · 12 Feb 23:00

The hallmark symptom of all chronic illness is without question, the fatigue.

Every time I ask my community which symptom they most wish they could eliminate permanently, fatigue tops the list.

It is debilitating, disabling and usually coincides with things like brain fog, pain, anxiety and depression.

So it's no surprise that learning how to manage the energy you have is one of the most important challenges those of us with chronic illness face.

Your level of functionality depends on which energy stage you are experiencing now and how much you can resist the temptation to "do all the things" on the days you do have energy.

Because when you try and do "all the things" there is a very real risk of pushing yourself back into another lengthy flare where you are exhausted or bed-bound again.

In this episode, I walk you through what the different energy stages of chronic illness are, share my top tips on managing each stage and more importantly, know how to protect and get the best from your precious energy levels.

Kerry Jeffery is a Coach, Counsellor and Clinical Hypnotherapist helping clients all around the world to overcome the emotional issues of living with chronic illness.

She lives in Melbourne, Australia along with Hashimoto's, Celiac, Antiphospholipid Syndrome and Type 1 Diabetes.

Find out more about Kerry and her Therapy programs here.

Book your FREE online Discovery Session with Kerry here.

Follow Kerry for daily posts on Facebook here.

The episode Managing your energy with chronic illness from the podcast Emotional Autoimmunity: Dealing with the emotional issues of chronic illness has a duration of 54:39. It was first published 12 Feb 23:00. The cover art and the content belong to their respective owners.

More episodes from Emotional Autoimmunity: Dealing with the emotional issues of chronic illness

Chronic illness, jealousy and envy.

One of my main objectives both with my podcast and my work, is to educate and validate the very normal emotional experiences and issues that come with becoming chronically ill.

The feelings of jealousy and envy are the ones we don't talk about because it creates so much guilt and shame to even admit them to yourself, let alone to others.

Watching your friends doing all the things that you can no longer do, feeling so jealous and envious that you need to stop using social media because it makes you cry or shaming yourself because you sometimes resent your partner for how they are able to be out and about in the world.

Feeling envy and jealousy of people whose lives have not been changed by chronic illness can leave you feeling like a bad or terrible person and so very ashamed.

In this episode, I share examples of envy and jealousy based on my clients and my own personal experiences, break down why it feels so wrong to have them and most importantly, how you can support yourself when experiencing these normal, natural emotions, without the guilt and shame.

Let's talk about the real life emotional issues of living with chronic illness.


Kerry Jeffery is a Coach, Counsellor and Clinical Hypnotherapist helping clients all around the world to overcome the emotional issues of living with chronic illness.

She lives in Melbourne, Australia along with Hashimoto's, Celiac, Antiphospholipid Syndrome and Type 1 Diabetes.

Find out more about Kerry and her Therapy programs here.

Book your FREE online Discovery Session with Kerry here.

Follow Kerry for daily posts on Facebook here.

Dealing with anxiety and the 'what if' thoughts.

Anxiety and dealing with constant 'what if' thoughts are something that every human has to deal with as our brain is trying to interpret our environment for potential threats to try and keep us safe.

But when you live with chronic illness, you will experience new levels of fear that create specific types of anxiety that non chronically ill people never need to think about.

The anxiety of living in a body that is unpredictable and no longer feels safe and can make you experience pain, fatigue and disability at any time.

The anxiety of not being believed, not feeling supported or experiencing blame and judgement for 'not trying hard enough to get well'.

The anxiety of feeling let down or abandoned by the medical, social and community systems we thought would be there when we most needed them .

The anxiety of experiencing a major flare, hospitalisation or more pain, disability and fatigue.

Inevitably, all of these anxieties lead to feeling stuck in endless 'what if' scenarios about all the things that you don't want to happen which leaves you losing sleep, unable to relax and dealing with the inflammatory effects of all that stress and fear.

In this episode I break down for you why these fears happen, how they have an impact on your emotions and body and most importantly, I share new skills you can use to overcome those scary 'what if' thoughts.

And if you get some good from this episode, please share this podcast and leave me a five star review to help me reach more people who need this information.

Kerry Jeffery is a Coach, Counsellor and Clinical Hypnotherapist helping clients all around the world to overcome the emotional issues of living with chronic illness.

She lives in Melbourne, Australia along with Hashimoto's, Celiac, Antiphospholipid Syndrome and Type 1 Diabetes.

Find out more about Kerry and her Therapy programs here.

Book your FREE online Discovery Session with Kerry here.

Follow Kerry for daily posts on Facebook here.

How to maximize your chances of getting the support you need.

When you live with chronic illness, you can feel so very alone which makes getting support more important than ever.

What's often shocking though is discovering just how little support is actually out there!

There is so little knowledge about chronic illness in our communities, families, medical and social support systems that you can end up feel judged, blamed, isolated and left to fend for yourself.

You can feel guilty for what your illness is doing to others, worry about letting others down and feel so overwhelmed and anxious because you don't know how to get doctors to help you.

Also as a formerly independent, capable and competent person, you can feel very vulnerable when it comes to asking for help in case the help you need will not be given.

If you want to know how to maximize your chances of getting the support you need, from online groups, doctors, family and friends, then this podcast is for you!

Make sure you share this one with everyone you know who lives with chronic illness because we so deserve to be supported.

Kerry Jeffery is a Coach, Counsellor and Clinical Hypnotherapist helping clients all around the world to overcome the emotional issues of living with chronic illness.

She lives in Melbourne, Australia along with Hashimoto's, Celiac, Antiphospholipid Syndrome and Type 1 Diabetes.

Find out more about Kerry and her Therapy programs here.

Book your FREE online Discovery Session with Kerry here.

Follow Kerry for daily posts on Facebook here.

Everything you need to know about brain fog and what you can do about it

If you live with chronic illness and autoimmune disease, then you understand just how frustrating and debilitating brain fog can be.

From the embarrassment of forgetting simple words, losing your ability to concentrate and focus or reading the same lines over and over again and still not being able to take it in, brain fog can have a significant impact impact on our work, relationships, study and motivation.

But what is brain fog exactly and what is its important relationship to stress and anxiety?

What role does inflammation play with brain fog and how does it affect your cognition and symptoms?

And more importantly, how can you manage brain fog and still work and function without creating even more stress, guilt and anxiety for yourself?

In this episode I cover all of this and so much more including my top tips for managing the impact of brain fog and reducing the frustration for when it happens to you.

Kerry Jeffery is a Coach, Counsellor and Clinical Hypnotherapist helping clients all around the world to overcome the emotional issues of living with chronic illness.

She lives in Melbourne, Australia along with Hashimoto's, Celiac, Antiphospholipid Syndrome and Type 1 Diabetes.

Find out more about Kerry and her Therapy programs here.

Book your FREE online Discovery Session with Kerry here.

Follow Kerry for daily posts on Facebook here.

What people who live with chronic illness most want you to understand

This episode is a collaboration between myself, my clients and my social media community.

We all know that one of the biggest issues we face is the lack of understanding about what chronic illness is and the ongoing impact it has on those of us living with it.

In this episode I share what those of us with chronic illness most want people to understand and trust me, everyone who contributed to this did not hold back!

This podcast is a great one to share with your friends, family, partners and chronic illness communities so make sure you listen and share and if you want to help me reach more people who need to hear this, please leave me a review.

Let's help educate and spread the word of the practical realities and emotional issues that becoming chronically ill bring from those who know it best.

Kerry Jeffery is a Coach, Counsellor and Clinical Hypnotherapist helping clients all around the world to overcome the emotional issues of living with chronic illness.

She lives in Melbourne, Australia along with Hashimoto's, Celiac, Antiphospholipid Syndrome and Type 1 Diabetes.

Find out more about Kerry and her Therapy programs here.

Book your FREE online Discovery Session with Kerry here.

Follow Kerry for daily posts on Facebook here.