What Not to Say to Someone with a Hidden Disability

Those of us who’ve had a chronic illness or a mental health diagnosis for at least a little while end up hearing some of the same things over and over from people who might mean well but end up coming across as insensitive or ableist.

I reached out to a few communities on social media to compile our pet peeves, and they go like this:

• “Everybody has something.”
• “I’m sad, too.”
• “I hurt, too.”
• “Drink more water.”
• “Exercise more.”
• “Lose some weight.”
• “Find a new hobby.”
• “Just get out and do something.”
• “You’ll get over it.”
• “It’ll get better.”
• “You still have that?
• “Well, at least ________.”
• “You should eat ________.”
• “Have you tried ________?”
• “I had that and it went away.”
• “My ________ has that, and they just ________.”
• “You’re doing too much.”
• “You need to take better care of yourself.”
• “You probably just have low ________.”
• “You’re too young to have all that.”
• “Can’t you just get surgery?”
• “You’ve gotten through worse.”
• “You should try a different doctor.”
• “You should get a second opinion.”
• “You use that as an excuse for everything.”
• “There’s always something with you.”

Get more communication tips at www.TalkingSplat.com.