I had gone my entire life being exposed to all sorts of climates without consequences. I was the kid who wore shorts in the middle of winter and dealt with nothing worse than ashy skin.
Since my psoriasis diagnosis, I’ve developed short-term and long-term scars. Standing in front of a mirror shirtless made me break down and cry when I first realized what I was dealing with. However, after discovering ways to accommodate my skin disease, I see fewer scars and red marks. Confronting psoriasis, in the beginning, was the hardest part emotionally, and it was mentally taxing as well.
For nearly 2 months after being diagnosed, I was in a dark state of mind. I would ask, “Why me?” I thought the world was unfair and that I had done nothing wrong to warrant this. As a healthy, active individual, I was under high amounts of stress.
Bad thoughts made me feel worthless, unlovable, hard to look at, and almost like a monster. Psoriasis played mind games with me and ruined my self-image.
I was filled with anger and frustration for quite some time until I finally accepted my circumstances. In order to break out of this rut, I carried on with life as usual. I hit the gym, went to music festivals, spent time doing my hobbies, and went out with my friends. Psoriasis could have easily consumed my life for longer than 2 months, but I managed to adapt.
Living with psoriasis requires self-love. You can’t be effective in what you do if you’re constantly stressed or worried about something chronic and irreversible. And if you can’t love yourself, it makes it very hard to love someone else.
My mom reassured me that I would find someone who would love me for who I am regardless of my skin condition, and that’s what happened 2 years later.
Staying positive while living with this irritating skin disease can be challenging, primarily -- for me -- in the winter when my psoriasis worsens. However, I take vitamin D supplements to help keep my mood positive and prevent psoriasis from ruining my motivation, productivity, or ambition.
I found that as with any disease, condition, or setback, you have to carry on with life as usual and be willing to adapt to new treatments, lifestyles, and habits.
Jordan Mendiola has lived with psoriasis for 3 years. A horizontal construction engineer in the U.S. Army, Mendiola loves hands-on projects and writing inspirational blog posts about health, fitness, life, and investing. He's 23 years old and enjoys running, investing, and learning.
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