Spotlighting ‘Voices’ in the Chronic Illness Community
How NewLifeOutlook Helps Bolster Community
Community. When you hear this word you might think of companionship, conversation and support. You might also picture togetherness and inspiration. These are all important values that are integrated into Newlifeoutlook’s chronic illness content.
For people who experience chronic pain or a chronic illness, a sense of community can be comforting, reassuring and validating, and we like to highlight these voices so others can find hope and guidance. Whether it be a blogger or the chairperson of a non-profit organization, we are open to hearing from everyone.
What Exactly is NewLifeOutlook Community Voices?
One of our modes of sharing people’s stories, experiences and missions is NewLifeOutlook’s Community Voices. Voices is a special section on our NewLifeOutlook websites where we shine light on prominent figures within the community who offer pillars of hope and strength. A commonality among people with chronic illnesses is feeling alone or unheard, so our aim is to bridge them to a platform where they can feel seen and inspire others.
For example, I recently had the honour of interviewing Rachel Weiss, the Chairperson of Menopause Café, which is a non-profit organization that aims to spread awareness and end the stigma surrounding menopause. Without having written this piece or chatting with Weiss, people might not have known how menopause can affect people on a daily basis, especially in the workplace.
There’s also a piece on Cancer NewLifeOutlook that surrounds Mailet Lopez, a breast cancer warrior and founder and CEO of IHadCancer, a community that acknowledges the mental and emotional issues of cancer survivors.
An additional difference to Voices compared to our regular articles is the formatting. Instead of questions in the regular font, there are specific blocks throughout to make quotes stand out more, as well as to enhance questions and answers.
The Importance of Stories and Experiences
It’s important to remember that while we use scientific research for our articles, there are people these conditions affect. These people matter, and everyone has a different journey. The more we know about peoples’ varying journeys, the more people without chronic illnesses can begin to understand how others’ lives are affected.
The hope is that this will help the chronic illness community socially, mentally, emotionally and physically as well. When more voices are heard and more stories are shared, it helps lessen the stigma and create more normalcy surrounding chronic illnesses. If we can talk about a broken bone or cut because it’s visible, then we should be able to talk about depression or the aching joints of arthritis, even though it may seem invisible.
We’re Always Listening
We are constantly looking for new opportunities to publish Voices. Whether it be a blogger, influencer, businessperson or non-profit organization, we are always looking to hear from people and how they persevere in their everyday life alongside their chronic illness. Sharing these stories helps shed light, bolster conversation, and let others know that they aren’t alone.
