A Practical Tool for People Who Are Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired
If you live
with chronic pain, fatigue, inflammation, migraines, IBS, autoimmune flares, or
unexplained symptoms, you’ve probably asked:
- Why is today worse?
- Why did that flare happen?
- Why do normal tests not explain how
bad I feel?
- Why does stress seem to make
everything explode?
You are not
imagining patterns.
And you are not broken.
Most chronic
conditions are not single-switch problems. They are pattern problems —
involving your body, your nervous system, your emotions, and your life
circumstances.
That’s where a
biopsychosocial (BPS) lens becomes powerful — not as theory, but as a practical
tool.
And you can use
ChatGPT to apply it starting today.
Step 1: Sort
Your Experience Into Three Buckets
We’re going to
map your symptoms across three simple areas:
1️ Biological
Sleep, activity
level, food, hydration, medications, hormones, illness, inflammation.
2️ Psychological
Stress, fear,
frustration, grief, anxiety, rumination, mood changes.
3️ Social
Workload,
caregiving demands, relationship conflict, isolation, finances, lack of
support.
Most flares
involve more than one bucket.
Pain rarely
travels alone.
Step 2: Use
This Prompt
Open ChatGPT - https://chatgpt.com/- and paste this:
“Help me map my
symptoms across three areas:
Biological (sleep, activity, food, meds)
Psychological (stress, fear, mood)
Social (conflict, workload, isolation).
Ask me questions and help me identify patterns without jumping to medical
conclusions.”
Then answer
honestly.
Don’t filter.
Don’t try to impress.
Just describe your week.
Step 3: Let
the Questions Reveal Patterns
ChatGPT might
ask:
- How did you sleep the night before
your flare?
- Did you push through fatigue?
- Were you under emotional strain?
- Did you feel overwhelmed or
trapped?
- Did anything socially draining
happen?
After a few
days, patterns often emerge:
“I flare after
poor sleep.”
“I flare after conflict.”
“I flare after trying to ‘act normal.’”
“I flare when I feel cornered.”
That
realization alone reduces helplessness.
You move from
confusion to observation.
Step 4:
Identify ONE Repeat Trigger
Not ten.
One.
Maybe it’s:
- Less than 6 hours of sleep
- Skipping meals
- Social overcommitment
- Fear of movement
- Overexertion
- Chronic internal pressure
Choose the one
that appears most often.
Now you’re not
guessing.
You’re tracking.
Step 5: Run
a Small Experiment
Do not overhaul
your life.
Choose one
adjustment, such as:
- Add 30 minutes of wind-down before
bed.
- Reduce one draining commitment this
week.
- Eat at consistent times.
- Try gentle movement instead of
total avoidance.
- Add one 5-minute nervous system
reset per day.
Track for 7
days.
Then ask
ChatGPT:
“Help me review
my week and see whether this change affected my symptoms.”
Small changes
create data.
Data creates control.
Control reduces fear.
Why This
Works
Chronic
conditions often run on feedback loops:
Pain → Fear →
Avoidance → Weakness → More Pain
Stress → Poor Sleep → Inflammation → More Stress
Isolation → Rumination → Symptom Amplification
Mapping
interrupts automatic loops.
It turns chaos
into information.
And information
creates options.
How to
Explain This to Your Doctor
One of the most
exhausting parts of chronic illness is trying to explain patterns in a short
appointment without sounding scattered.
This tool helps
you organize your observations before you walk in.
After tracking
for 1–2 weeks, ask ChatGPT:
“Help me
summarize my symptom patterns clearly and concisely for a doctor visit.”
You might bring
something like this:
Example
Appointment Summary
Primary
symptoms: Widespread
pain and fatigue
Duration: 3 years
Patterns noticed:
- Flares strongly associated with
<6 hours sleep
- Increased pain after emotional
stress
- Symptoms worsen after pushing
beyond energy limits
Helpful changes: Gentle pacing reduces flare severity
Questions for you: - Could sleep disruption be
amplifying symptoms?
- Are there treatment options that
support nervous system regulation?
- Is there anything medically
concerning about this pattern?
Notice what
this does:
- You’re not self-diagnosing.
- You’re not overwhelming them.
- You’re not minimizing your
suffering.
- You’re inviting collaboration.
Instead of
saying, “Everything is terrible,” you’re saying,
“Here’s what I’ve observed. Can we explore this together?”
That shift
changes appointments.
You’re no
longer passive.
You’re participating.
Important
Boundaries
This tool is
for awareness and pattern recognition.
It is not a replacement for medical evaluation or treatment.
Biology
matters.
Lab work matters.
Medications matter.
But so do
sleep, stress, fear, overload, and isolation.
Mapping simply
helps you articulate your lived experience.
If You Feel
Hopeless
Start here:
“What is one
small factor in my life I can influence this week that might reduce symptom
amplification?”
Relief rarely
arrives as a miracle.
It arrives as:
- Fewer flare days
- Shorter flares
- Less fear
- More predictability
- A little more stability
That is
progress.
Final
Thought
You are not
weak.
You are not dramatic.
You are not failing.
Your system is
overloaded.
Mapping your
patterns is the first step toward calming that system.
And today, you
can begin.
Disclaimer
- For informational purposes only. This
article is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare
provider. Additional Disclaimers
here.
My Amazon
Author Page
👉 https://www.amazon.com/author/tomgarz
