Dealing with Responses to your Chronic Disease

Ignorant or hurting remarks...how to respond?: Some people's remarks hurt so bad. It feels they pinch and puncture you like Captain Hook. Not even meant to hurt, its effect grows and grows and reduces your spirit. They may even overrule those little moments of happiness.; What can you do? It seems being ill makes these things even harder to deal with, doesn't it?
Don't cling: I took advice from a Dutch woman who wrote a book from her experience in being ill. She says being ill is a job you can learn. Don't cling to bad things that happen.; She says don't repeat the hurting comments.; But don't try too hard to forget them either. Because that won't work. Trying so hard makes them come back. I know. I found out. So:
Let go if you can: Ignore their importance and just don't think about them any more. Don't repeat them out loud. When they pop up, listen to them and then let go again.
Repeat the good things: Instead talk about the good things that happen. No matter how small. And repeat them in your mind.; Take out your silver polish and make those experiences shine.
Silver polish your good memories: Show them to others as you would your new lamp or a new car or your job achievements. Or put them in a tiny cloth and save in your pocket so you can steal a glance each time you need support.
Examples:: Let go: Oh don't worry you can always have brain surgery! You just gotta be strong, than you will be allright.; Or: That's what my uncle had, yes and he suffered so bad and oh, his family, they hated it!!
Polish and remind yourself often:: The guy that helped you push the groceries to your car by use of just one hand, easying your effort tremendously, and just asks you which way you go: right? left? And afterwards just nods goodbye.; Or the doctor's aid who talks to you in exactly the right tone. (That's incredibly rare..) Not patronizing, not pitiful, but really asking you something, caring, serious but not overly worried. Making you feel human not a disease.
Making you smile and polish your silver memories.

Ignore or remember?