Living with chronic illness: How to find purpose | Mayo Clinic Health Matters Podcast

How do you live well with a chronic illness without letting your diagnosis take over your identity? And how can you stay grounded when your health feels unpredictable? In this episode of Health Matters, Kristen Meinzer talks with health policy advocate, chronic illness patient and author Gwen Mayes and her longtime Mayo Clinic cardiologist, Steve R. Ommen, M.D. Drawing on more than 20 years of working together, they share what they've learned about living with chronic illness, building a strong patient-doctor relationship and staying connected to the person behind the diagnosis. Gwen shares her experience living with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and lessons from her book, “More Person Than Patient: Finding Your Purpose and Power With Chronic Illness.” Together, she and Dr. Ommen discuss patient advocacy, continuity of care, mental health, managing uncertainty and practical ways to stay grounded when a chronic condition begins to feel like a full-time job. In this episode, you'll learn: • What it means to live with a chronic illness • How chronic illness can affect your identity and relationships • Why continuity of care matters • How to advocate for yourself as a patient • How to build a strong relationship with your care team • Why mental health care is part of chronic illness care • Strategies for coping with unpredictable symptoms • How to stay grounded during difficult days • When health monitoring can become overwhelming • How to find purpose and joy beyond your diagnosis Looking for more Health Matters episodes? Explore the full podcast library: https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/podcas... Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press: https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/ for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books. Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu. 00:00 Introduction 01:54 What is chronic illness? 03:24 Gwen's chronic illness journey 07:10 Building a long-term patient-doctor relationship 08:53 Why continuity of care matters 11:19 The challenges of living with chronic illness 12:38 How chronic illness affects your life and relationships 14:52 Becoming more person than patient 17:11 Common experiences with chronic illness 18:02 How to advocate for your own care 18:46 The emotional side of chronic illness 21:54 How to be seen as a person, not a diagnosis 23:37 When chronic illness takes over your identity 24:47 Mental health and chronic illness 25:59 How to stay grounded with an unpredictable illness 27:58 Managing fear and catastrophizing 28:49 When managing your health feels like a full-time job 29:54 Finding purpose beyond chronic illness 31:44 Key takeaways 33:04 Outro From Mayo Clinic to your inbox (free): https://mayocl.in/3e71zfi Visit Mayo Clinic: https://mayocl.in/2COVmlm Connect with Mayo Clinic: Facebook:   / mayoclinic   Instagram:   / mayoclinic   X: https://x.com/MayoClinic Threads: https://www.threads.net/@mayoclinic