The Benefits of Meditation When Living with a Chronic Illness: Interview with Casey Cole, PCC

Living with a chronic illness, like multiple sclerosis, brings stress, anxiety, and pain. Questions arise, like – Am I going through a relapse? How long will discomfort last? What does the future look like?

I know how hard it can be to turn off the persistent thoughts and worries that accompany day-to-day life with chronic illness. After participating in a few mindfulness meditation sessions with my friend and Leadership Coach/dedicated mindfulness meditation practitioner, Casey Cole, I was curious to hear her perspective on how a meditation practice could benefit someone like me.

She has graciously shared her thoughts and advice for starting – and sticking with – a meditation practice. Read our interview below:

KB: How can a regular meditation practice benefit someone living with a chronic illness?

CC: Let’s start by clarifying what a meditation practice is – there are many different forms of meditation with origins in diverse countries and from diverse faith traditions, many of which I am not an expert in. I practice mindfulness meditation – a secular practice of bringing present awareness to the moment, without judgment. Sometimes that may mean sitting in silence and focusing on the breath, sometimes that may mean walking outdoors and focusing on the sounds in the environment, and sometimes that may mean listening to a guided meditation. 

I have personally found a regular meditation practice to bring so many benefits to my life – an ability to respond more skillfully to stressful situations, a decrease in anxiety, improved concentration, and better sleep. For someone living with a chronic illness, those benefits can be a huge help in maintaining and improving the quality of their day-to-day life. 

For me, the most significant benefit is the ability to regulate emotions. Life can be stressful and difficult, especially so for those living with a chronic illness. Symptom flare-ups, frustration with health insurance or providers, worries about the future – all so challenging. Meditation can help us create some objectivity and space in our minds, so we can choose how to respond to those challenges instead of reacting without thinking.

KB: How does meditation impact stress?

CC: Stress is a state or worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation (I’m all about the definitions today!). When we worry, we are often re-playing something that happened in the past or catastrophizing about what could happen in the future. 

Meditation trains our minds to bring our focus back to the present, again and again. When we are truly able to bring awareness to the present, without judging it or trying to change it, we find that our worries and emotional reactions about the past or future are lessened. 

That present awareness isn’t something you achieve and never lose again. Meditation is a practice – in order to find the benefits, we need to keep practicing being in the present and accepting it as it is. 

KB: How can meditation help with pain relief?

CC: When we feel pain, it can bring up so many tough questions and worries for us – is the pain going to get worse? Can I handle it if it gets worse? Will I feel this pain more and more often? Will I always feel it? You might even say that our fears about pain are worse than the pain itself. 

Mindfulness meditation can help with pain in two ways. First, it can help re-ground us in the present so we’re not adding fear and emotional suffering to the physical pain we’re feeling. We can begin to accept the pain as it is, right now, without worrying about future pain. Second, we can use the focus and concentration developed in a meditation practice to investigate and get curious about the pain. Where exactly do we feel this pain? Is it a tingling, burning, or sharp sensation? Does the pain lessen if I shift or stretch or move? When we can get very detailed about exactly how the pain is showing up in this moment, we may see more clearly what patterns there are and how we might feel a little better. 

KB: What is your advice for starting a regular meditation practice, and sticking with it?

CC: Start small. If you’re only able to meditate for two minutes, great! The key is to choose to meditate in a way that feels achievable most days. You will see the benefits by practicing just a couple of minutes of quiet awareness (almost) every day. Once you start to feel the positive effects meditation is having in your life, you’ll practice more. I started with 2-3 minutes a day five years ago, and have built up to a 5-7 day silent retreat each year. 

It’s also super important to understand that there’s no “wrong” way to meditate. If you are bringing your awareness to the present moment, a little at a time and without judging yourself or trying to fix anything, you’re doing it right. 

KB: Why should meditation be part of a wellness routine for someone living with a chronic illness?

CC: A chronic illness can make you feel like you’ve lost control of your body or your life. A meditation practice provides a simple, safe space where you can find more presence in your mind and more acceptance of what’s happening in your body. I really believe that developing that presence and acceptance can lead to so many amazing things – the ability to respond skillfully to the stress and anxiety about your illness, more relaxation that can support symptom management, and above all, developing compassion for yourself. Even on the worst days, meditation can help you accept what is and accept yourself as you are with generosity and kindness.