The Path to Acceptance
Anxiety
If your psoriasis stress has been around for a while, it could manifest into anxiety. Like with depression, reflect on the aspects of your psoriasis that make you feel anxious. Write them down to see them in black and white. There is something more impactful about seeing your thoughts written down as it allows you to be more objective when reviewing them.
Look at your anxious behaviors. Have you been staying home more? Have you been only going out at night to avoid people? Have you been cutting off communication with your trusted supports? Look at what is contributing to this decision making. If the answer is anxiety, rethink your actions. Anxiety wants to cut out the healthy supports in your life so you are left isolated and vulnerable.
Bargaining
In situations like this, people create various situations and scenarios to end their psoriasis diagnosis. Unfortunately, these bargains or trades are not grounded in reality. Some will bargain with God by saying, “God, if you take away this psoriasis, I will be the best member of my church, donate to the poor, work at a soup kitchen and read books to the blind.”
Others try to bargain with science by saying, “I will cure my psoriasis by eating only organic, local, gluten-free, casing-free food without any red dye in it.”
The truth is that both bargains are beneficial for you, but neither will cure your psoriasis. Additionally, they lead to a crash as you complete the behaviors without the desired result, which leaves you open to experience the anger towards Gods or science.
Avoid cycling through this process by noting that you only have limited control over your symptoms. Letting go of control brings you closer to acceptance.
Acceptance
You must accept the things you cannot change. Your control over your psoriasis is only partial. Working to remind yourself of this through repetition will be helpful. Rather than fighting against the current, allow yourself to be swept away with the idea that psoriasis is a part of you that will not change.
If you always wanted to be taller, getting depressed, angry and anxious will not increase your height. Just as bargaining or denying that your eyes are brown will not make them hazel. You are who you are and how you are. There is beauty, understanding and peace in that truth.
Conclusion
If you have psoriasis, you know what does not work. You know that denial, anger, depression, anxiety and bargaining only end in unwanted thoughts and behaviors. Choose a different road to end the cycle. Choose the path of acceptance and use denial, depression, anger and the rest to push you forward by illustrating how stuck you really are.
Acceptance does not come easy but having it will instill you with unequaled pride and love.
