#Endothestigma bringing me down

[Red262]

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all well and embracing endometriosis awareness month!

I think so many people are doing amazing things to raise awarenesses but I can't help but feel a little deflated by some posts. Seeing people excel whilst living with the same disease I'm fighting is wonderful, but can also be really difficult. Seeing people run or even walk 10k and stating 'my disease does not define me' just makes me think my disease DOES define me. It's taken me over a year to accept that I cant do everything I used to, and that, despite being 25 and previously fit and healthy, some days (like today) I can barely walk from the bedroom to the bathroom.

Anyone else out there feeling the same? Or better still, anyone with any advice on how to deal with these feelings of inadequacy?

Thanks in advance x

[Lolpolaza]

Hi,

I feel you. I suffer greatly with my symptoms and it often gets me down that I can’t do many of the things other 20 year olds can do, I would love to take part in fundraising events but know I physically can’t. I think it’s okay to say you’re not feeling okay. Everyone’s story is different and I do actually say being an endo warrior does define me because without it I don’t think my personality would be the same, it’s given me more empathy and compassion. Try not to let the posts get you down too much this is YOUR story and you are doing a great job. Always here to talk.

Lena x

[Moonglo]

A warrior is defined by their bravery and resilience, not their physical feats.

[912912]

hi i'm new here and this is one of the first posts i've come across - and i completely agree! the "my disease does not define me" line sounds like it's attempting to avoid association with illness. would it be bad if it did define us? i also find slogans like "anything you can do, I can do bleeding" really alienating because i can't do anything when i'm on my period 😂 it makes me feel like a failure or like i'm contributing to negative stereotypes about menstruation. but the constant expectation of strength and productivity isn't right... we saw this narrative pop up during the first lockdown too, when people were saying you don't have to be productive during a global pandemic. well, maybe it's okay that i can't be productive during my period! maybe we should #endotheexpectations instead