People with psoriasis report that their condition severely disrupts their day-to-day interactions with family, friends, and co-workers. While life with psoriasis can be tough, you don't have to let it stop you from building and strengthening your relationships with the people you care about.
Here are some tips for maintaining healthy relationships while living with psoriasis:
- Build a support network. When you're living with a condition like psoriasis, you need to have a few people you can depend on through thick and thin – whether your skin is clear or you're having a flare-up. Develop a network of contacts who can give you an emotional boost when you need it. This might mean turning to family, close friends, counsellors, health care professionals, or people you've met in the psoriasis community.
- Be honest. Honesty is the best policy when it comes to close relationships. Tell your friends and family when you need help and be open about how your psoriasis makes you feel. Sharing your feelings will help strengthen the relationship.
- Talk to people about psoriasis. When you educate others, they learn to accept and understand your condition and what you must do to live with it.
You can still have fulfilling and rewarding relationships if you have psoriasis; don't be fazed by the condition. There are various strategies that you can employ to keep living well with psoriasis.
If you find you're having trouble balancing your relationships with managing your psoriasis, talk to your doctor for advice on how to cope.
