You Don’t Look Sick! How Do you Respond to this Comment?
We’ve all heard it… You don’t look sick! When you live with an autoimmune disease, this comment is common. How do you react and then respond?
There are times when I’m happy to hear this comment and times when I’m displeased. I do have a prepared response for this statement, but it doesn’t always fit my emotional or intellectual needs at the time. I hear the comment often enough (and I know you do as well) that I thought it a worthy topic to explore. My hope is that this article gives you ideas to help you craft your best response for any situation.
I believe there are a number of factors to consider when determining the best response to You Don’t Look Sick. Consider your:
- Personality.
- Disease activity level.
- Emotional status.
- Time since diagnosis.
- Relationship to the person.
Each time someone tells you that you don’t look sick, you need to examine your answers to all of these questions and ask yourself the ultimate question:
Why do you care?
