Exposing my weak spot.

I'm rather lucky to have supportive family and friends who treat me very well. Me, having ME can be hard for them because they only see me ill if they spend a lot of time with me. I avoid contact if I'm too ill. So I appreciate that they accept me for who I am. But so they should - ME does not define my personality, even though it's a big part of my life. I found this article exploring psychosomatic symptoms/illnesses and it reminded me of the complex mind issues that surround any illness. I have recently found counselling a really helpful tool in my quest for better health, but I am well aware that it will not cure me. Instead, it's helped me accept who I am and learn not to be ashamed of my illness.

Last week a group of my friends were talking about our weak spots. To give you an example, one friend hates it when people slag off Buffy, it gets her riled up. Mine, on a similarly shallow level, is probably litter (I don't know why?). But realistically, my weak spot is when strangers or new acquaintances try and suggest cures for ME. It gets me down when people say that I should try cognitive behavioural therapy or some other talking therapy, just because it cured their friend. I understand that they are trying to be helpful, but deep down I feel like screaming - "I've been ill for a long time, have I not tried so many 'cures' already? Would you suggest counselling as a cure for a person with MS or cancer? No, you'd be punched, because that is plain insensitive". But I smile and nod and thank them for their wisdom. Ultimately, they are trying to be helpful, trying to connect with a stranger by sharing knowledge, but they don't know that I have a large chip on my shoulder, weighing me down. I'd rather they got my ME confused with MS, that is always far more amusing.......