First, read this touching article about understanding illness: the Spoon Theory. It’s on a Lupus site, but the author is very right in saying that the same idea applies to a lot of invisible illnesses.

Also, there’s this blog entry about invalidation which dear Karifish sent me to read.

That second one reminds me badly of the time one of my closest friends (at the time, I’ve since cut off that friendship) told me that my suicidal feelings could wait. “Not now, it can wait ’til morning.”

I drank myself unconscious that night. I don’t really remember much of it. But the pills I’d been intending to take were still on my counter that morning when I awoke. I barely noticed the hangover. I wake up dizzy, nauseous and sore far too often to know the difference anyway.

Is there any wonder I don’t trust people? Really? When close friends tell me what I’m feeling is unimportant? She was not the first nor the last one to do so, either.