"It's like swimming upstream every moment you're awake." - Unknown

Swimming against the current feels like you are putting in all sorts of effort without actually getting anywhere. Imagine trying to swim against that current every moment of every day for the rest of your life. After a while you feel exhausted, but you know you have to keep moving so you don't drown.

That's exactly what it feels like to have a chronic condition!

You struggle to get through the day even though your efforts don't seem to be getting you anywhere. Every time you feel like you are getting somewhere, a wave comes along and pushes you backwards.

Don't give up! Instead, imagine the people in your life standing on the shoreline making a human chain to rescue you from the icy waters. Even trained rescue squads need to have reinforcements so they can find the energy to keep helping.

You need a team of people to help you navigate this disease. If you try to do it alone, you won't have the human chain to pull you out of the water so you don't drown. Also, if you don't have back-up team members, the people standing in the water trying to help you to the shore will eventually get so exhausted that they are in danger of becoming ill themselves.