I Feel Like a Burden and I Hate Feeling That Way

I know I am not supposed to feel this way.

I know the people who love me do not see me as a burden.

They have told me.

But when you need help with things that other people do without thinking — carrying groceries, driving yourself somewhere, getting through a workday — it is hard not to feel like you are too much.

Like you are taking more than you are giving.

Like the scales are permanently tipped in the wrong direction.

I watch people do things effortlessly that cost me everything.

And I feel grateful for the help.

And I feel guilty for needing it.

Both at the same time.

All the time.

I hate that I feel this way.

I hate that the illness took my independence and then made me feel ashamed about losing it.

That feels like the cruelest part.

Feeling like a burden is one of the most common and least talked about emotional experiences of chronic illness. It is not weakness. It is what happens when a capable, independent person loses the ability to do things they used to take for granted.

You are not too much. You are a person navigating something genuinely hard.

BioBreathing is a space where you can come without needing to give anything back. Just breathe. Just rest. Just be.

Begin your free 5-minute reset →

Related: I Started Apologizing for Having a Body That Hurt · My Spouse Needs Me to Rest and I Feel Guilty About It · Why Chronic Pain Keeps the Body on High Alert