Development of Self-Trust: For many people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), building trust in themselves was a developmental process. Some people intentionally built self-trust, others discovered new dimensions of self-trust as they faced new experiences, and a few trusted themselves without question.

 

Changes in Self-Trust: People with CF explained that self-trust ebbs and flows as their health, their own understanding and their circumstances change. Self-trust wasn't a steady state; it fluctuated.  

 

Management of Care & Relationships with Self-Trust: Managing CF involves constant decisions and actions, from adjusting a treatment plan to recognizing when to reach out to the care team. Many people with CF and parents of children with CF described self-trust as essential to navigating their ongoing care and responding to changes in their health. 

 

What ideas or actions sparked for you?

For People and Families:

• Remember that self-trust can ebb and flow. If you’re experiencing doubt, talk to someone you trust, such as your care team or a trusted family member. Their support may help you strengthen your trust in yourself. 
• Listen to your body to help you make decisions about your CF care. 
• A journal or notes app can help you track symptoms, patterns, and build a record you can look back on to develop trust in how you are managing CF.

For Healthcare Professionals:

• Encourage people to learn and listen to their bodies by sharing what you are looking for when monitoring CF-related symptoms.
• Validate peoples' self-awareness, judgment, and expertise. 
• Reinforce peoples’ trust in themselves to make decisions about their care, from when to seek care to making choices about changes in treatment routines. 
• Respect peoples’ capacities to advocate and help advocate with them when their self-trust is low.