About a month and a half ago, I made a post about how to support authors. From writing reviews to keeping up with their latest publications, there are a lot of things that you can do to support any author. This post is specialized to offer advice for supporting authors who have chronic health issues. Please note that everything in this post can apply to any kind of artist, not just authors.

First a reminder: What is chronic illness? According to CDC, chronic illness can be defined broadly as “conditions that last one year or more and require ongoing medical attention or limit activities of daily living or both.” This can include anything from widely known illnesses such as diabetes to more recently recognized illnesses such as POTS. According to NIH, approximately 45% of Americans suffer from at least one chronic disease. It is safe to assume that due to the difficulty in diagnosing such illnesses, that percent is significantly higher than the official statements of these organizations.

I have experienced chronic pain since middle school, and have more recently discovered signs of other conditions that I may have as well. (What do you mean it’s not normal to feel like passing out after being outside on any given sunny day?) Recently my various health issues have greatly impacted my work as an author and daily life.

So what can be done to support authors and artists like me?

• Be patient with us. I cannot stress this enough. If we aren’t keeping up with a regular post schedule or haven’t read that book you recommended to us, give us some grace and understand that we’re probably more upset than you are that we haven’t been able to keep up with seemingly “simple” tasks.
• If you don’t know us: you can be sympathetic while still respecting our privacy. Some authors are outspoken about their health on social media, and others are private about it. If they are being cryptic/guarded, don’t pry. And no matter how open we are about their health, please don’t offer unsolicited advice. Please assume that if we need help with managing symptoms or being pointed in the right direction for diagnosis, we’ll ask.
• If you do know us: check in on our health. (*If you are in a place that it will not overstep any boundaries.*) Most likely a simple “How are you?” will elicit an automatic “I’m good,” but checking in on our health (again, within accepted boundaries) may give us a much needed chance to express some of the difficulties we’ve been experiencing.
• Refer to my “How to Support Authors” post for additional tips. We still need all of the same universal author support as well.

The bottom line is just to be understanding of the fact that social media has shaped unrealistic expectations for all content creators, including authors and artists. Kindness paired with respect go a long way towards helping us feel appreciated without feeling like our lives are on display.