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Symptom Management

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When dealing with chronic health conditions, we often ask ourselves how we can reduce the severity of the condition by alleviating the most troublesome symptoms so that our quality of life improves. This is an important goal, but a narrow focus on eliminating difficult or painful symptoms as an absolute priority can sometimes do a disservice to those living with chronic illness, for several reasons.

One issue is the expectation that chronic symptoms must disappear before pursuing other goals, as this may never happen. Another is that simply reducing symptoms does not necessarily lead to a “good” or fulfilling life.

A more holistic approach aims to promote positive psychosocial factors that enhance well-being and quality of life, regardless of symptom severity. This perspective focuses primarily on how to cultivate these positive aspects in each person’s life, fostering resilience, social engagement, self-care, and self-compassion.

In practice, this means paying attention to and encouraging opportunities that increase happiness, joy, meaning, purpose, satisfaction, and contentment. Positive and negative emotions can and should coexist, but it is important to highlight that people tend to experience a decrease in negative emotions and an increase in positive ones when more meaningful and enjoyable elements are added to their lives.

In chronic conditions, certain symptoms and difficulties may persist, yet they do not prevent happiness, purpose, and well-being from coexisting. There is no need to wait for symptoms to completely fade before seeking happiness and a fulfilling life. You may call this symptom management, but whether it is simply a coping strategy or not, life improves. By recognising that symptom remission is not the sole goal of treatment, space is created to prioritise what truly matters to each individual — such as maintaining fulfilling social relationships, being able to live independently, and effectively pursuing personal and vocational aspirations.

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