Chronic Illness: The Human iPhone on 3%
- emmageorgeson
- Oct 4, 2025
- 2 min read
Living with Chronic Illness is Basically Like Always Having a Low Phone Battery
You know that little red sliver of doom on your phone screen? The one that says 5% battery remaining but somehow feels more like the end of civilization as we know it?
Welcome to life with a chronic illness.
𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺
When your phone hits 12%, suddenly you’re an elite mathematician. You start calculating: “If I close all my apps, dim the brightness, and only check Instagram every 7 minutes, I can make it home before this thing dies.”
Living with chronic illness is exactly like that. You wake up with 27% energy and spend the rest of the day budgeting it. “If I shower AND make breakfast, I’m definitely not going to Target. But if I skip breakfast and eat dry cereal out of the box, maybe I can make it to that doctor’s appointment.”
𝟮. 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿-𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲
Phones at 10%: Activating low power mode. Background apps won’t refresh.
Chronic illness at 10%: Activating survival mode. Don’t ask me to fold laundry. Don’t ask me to form complete sentences. Don’t even ask me where my shoes are.
The lights are still on, but trust me, nothing extra is happening in the background.
𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗵𝘂𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻
We’ve all been betrayed by a phone that jumps from 8% to DEAD instantly. No warning. Just darkness.
That’s chronic illness too. One minute you’re at brunch making everyone laugh, the next minute you’re face-planting on the couch like you’ve been unplugged from the wall. Surprise shutdown.
𝟰. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿
When your phone battery is low, suddenly everyone needs the outlet you spotted first. Chronic illness is the same: everyone has advice on how you should “recharge.” Drink more water. Try yoga. Go gluten-free. Meditate with a Himalayan salt lamp while balancing on one foot. Meanwhile, you’re just over here like, “No Karen, what I actually need is a new battery pack, but thanks.”
𝟱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿 = 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝘆 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹
Phone users: “I can’t live without my portable charger.”
Chronic illness warriors: “I can’t live without my heating pad, meds, or snacks stashed in my bag like survival gear.”
Both of us carry backup systems like we’re prepping for the apocalypse.
𝟲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗢𝗠𝗢 𝗶𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹
When your phone is dying, you’re torn between saving battery and joining in on the group chat chaos. With chronic illness, it’s the same: Do you spend your precious 15% energy ging out with friends, or do you save it for work tomorrow? Either way, you’re missing something.
𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁
Living with chronic illness is like living permanently at under 20% battery life. Every choice is strategic, every outing is a gamble, and every “Are you coming?” text feels like a test. But here’s the good news: just like phones, even on 1% we’re still here, stubbornly running apps we shouldn’t, doing our best to stay connected.
Because honestly? Low battery or not, we’re still pretty amazing at making it work.
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