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Chronic Illness and Mental Health: Real-Life Advice from a Psychologist Who’s Been There

When receiving a diagnosis of a chronic physical condition, most people focus on the physical and practical impact on their life. What is often missed by both the professionals and the person getting diagnosed is the mental health impact of this process.

Our psychologist Lizzie Cupper has first hand experience with receiving a diagnosis of a chronic condition, and we sat with her for a chat about her experience and tips.

Lizzie is a proud country girl who grew up in the Mallee and now lives with her two happy (aka: spoiled) cats. Her favourite food is mushrooms and her role model is Rihanna. In Lizzie’s words ‘she is just super cool, and we are nothing alike’.

In 2012, Lizzie was diagnosed with a chronic illness. She described this time as ‘going into ‘a panic/survival mode – postponing my postgraduate studies as I tried to prioritise seeing family and thinking about any “bucket list” items. With the advantage of hindsight, I can look back on that scared, recently married young woman and reflect on how far I have come.’

When we asked what she wishes every disabled person knew about mental health she described the importance of “putting your own oxygen mask on” first. For Lizzie, this means a Sunday routine of reading the newspaper (an actual physical copy!), watching Insiders on the ABC and having a really long breakfast.


Lizzie has been working in the mental health sector for six years, with experience in supporting people experiencing depression and anxiety, adjustment issues, psychosocial challenges, suicide ideation, disability and more.


We asked Lizzie about her favourite part about working with people with disability and chronic conditions on their mental wellbeing. She described enjoying getting to know people as individuals – ‘not just what challenges they are facing’. This is one of the things we love about our work – it is about people, not problems or numbers.

Lizzie knows first hand that living well with a chronic condition involves more than medical appointments. We asked what her top three self-care strategies that she uses. Lizzie said ‘Try to keep to a simple routine, spend heaps of time with my cats and husband, and eat a whole-foods, plant-based diet.’

To wrap up our conversation, we asked Lizzie for advice for people who are struggling with their disability, or with a new diagnosis. Here’s what she said: ‘It’s a deeply personal thing but I guess, just take your time with it. When you are ready, perhaps choose one trusted person to share how you’re feeling and ask them to check in with you from time to time.’

[This blog was originally written by Liel Bridgford and the Kultivate team for ECTRIMS. Kultivate is a proud patient Community Day Supporting Partner.]

Speaking up – A 2024 Wrap Up

By Liel Bridgford [2 min read]

Speaking up is not always easy, while it is always a privilege.

Last year was a busy one, and some of my favourite moments happened while speaking about my passions: disability rights, accessibility, mental health, disability justice and more.

Below are some of those highlights.

In March I interviewed Hannah Diviney about her memoir. Connecting with the audience was best part about that event – hearing the impact of our words on others is always special.

On the podcasting front, I was recently interviewed on the podcast Disability Disrupters – a New Zealand based podcast about disrupting the status quo in disability. It was a pleasure to speak with Pam, and connect over our shared experience of working in the health sector. Pam asked interesting questions, and my favorite was what would I change in the disability sector.

On the radio front, I spoke with ABC about gossip and imposter syndrome, both were short and sweet interviews. I particularly enjoyed talking about imposter syndrome in light of the imposter syndrome workshop I facilitated through Writers Victoria. Facilitating that workshop was definitely a highlight from the year, as I combined my passions for mental health and writing.

Another highlight of 2024 was speaking with Jasper Peach on Able radio, when I got to talk about the importance of mental health support for disabled people and how to find the right support for you.

On a cool June evening a group of writers gathered at Doncaster library and I facilitated workshop about managing ableism, internalised ableism and writing consistency. It was a beautiful evening of connection, thinking and redefining meaning.

When I arrived at the Channel 31 studio for my interview with ALL IN I have to admit that I felt a little nervous. The experience was wonderful and as I moved away from the studio after speaking about mental health, disability justice and immigration, I felt a huge sense of pride.

In December to celebrate International Day of People With Disability and finish off the year, I had the great privilege of delivering my first keynote speech at St John of God Accord.

There have also been many other moments of speaking up and advocating this year- from social media, to my kids school, to professional meetings and everything in between.

It is with great hope that I conclude speaking up for 2024. I hope our words reach someone who needs to hear them.

Liel Bridgford

Psychologist, Writer, Educator 

Kultivate Founder and Director

2025 Brenda Gabe Leadership Award

By Liel Bridgford [2 minutes read]

“When I was a kid, my time in the health system was filled with trauma. 

My mission is to change the way we do healthcare – so that disabled people have the power and access they deserve and need to have the best healthcare and life.”

This was the start of my acceptance speech of the Brenda Gabe Leadership Award on Tuesday 27 May 2025.

WDV said “Liel has been improving the lives of women and gender diverse people with disability as a proud disabled psychologist, and by establishing a disability-specific psychological practice. Liel continues to improve access and acceptance of disabled women in mental healthcare through advocacy, education, writing, podcasting, interviews and social media presence.”

I continued, speaking to the crowd of the Members event of Women with Disabilities Victoria (WDV):

“This award is a proof that we can do it.

There are still many barriers, violence and even abuse of disabled women and gender diverse people in our healthcare system and I aim to be a small part of the wave of change to make the healthcare system safe and accessible for all. 

Being here today reminds me of the power of our community to make sure disabled girls, women and gender diverse people are not left behind.  

Thank you to WDV and the disability community that I am so proud to be a part of. I feel so honoured and privileged to have this opportunity. 

I want to acknowledge my fellow nominees, all of whom do incredible work to make our lives better.”

My commitment to re-creating the healthcare system has started when I was a kid, and winning this award fills me with hopes, and fuels my dream of a safer, more accessible future for us all.

Liel Bridgford

Psychologist | Writer | Educator

Kultivate Founder & Director

Energy Management when Fatigue is a Regular Visitor

By Liel Bridgford [4 Min read]

Fatigue for Disabled People 

Fatigue is one of the most common experiences for disabled people. There are many reasons why disabled people might experience fatigue and difficulties managing energy. For example: 

  • Fatigue is a symptom of many conditions 
  • Living in a world not built for us creates additional barriers and energy expending tasks 
  • Disabled people need to communicate our needs more frequently than non-disabled people, which uses more energy 
  • Many disabled people have experienced traumas in their life, and the impacts of these can affect our energy 
  • Sleep issues are common when we experience pain, physical discomfort or incontinence, all common for disabled people 
  • Neurodivergent people often have varying sleep and focus experiences, which can impact fatigue 

The Barriers to Manage Fatigue 

There are endless barriers that can get in the way of managing our fatigue, but many fit into one of the following categories: 

  • Fatigue itself! The constant experience of being fatigued can get in the way of implementing any change in our life. 
  • Not enough supportive people who can help encourage us along the way
  • Competing demands on our time and energy 
  • Financial barriers or need to work more than is sustainable 
  • Past experiences of trying to address fatigue that have been unsuccessful 
  • Thoughts and feelings that everything is ‘too much’ or that changes are not ‘worth it’ for the effort
  • Difficulty tolerating the discomfort of changing our routine 

Where to start  

To manage your energy and fatigue most effectively, it is important to start with the following: 

  1. Identify the contributing factors to your fatigue.Whether it’s a symptom, competing demands, poor sleep quality, or weather, identifying what adds to your fatigue is useful. 
  2. Get to know your fatigue and energy patterns. This includes learning which activities spend the most energy for you, and which recharge your batteries. It can also involve understanding the impact of weather, noise, and stress on your fatigue. Start by tracking your energy levels and activities for a week. 
  3. Identify your barriers to addressing fatigue. Using the list above as a guide, write down what you have tried before, what worked or didn’t, and what would help you improve your fatigue management. It can be useful to ask yourself something like ‘If I had all the support I need, what would that look like?’ 

Implement Effective Strategies

There is no magic formula that will make your fatigue disappear, but there are strategies that can make a difference in the long term. 

After you have identified the contributing factors to your fatigue, understood your patterns of energy and fatigue, and wrote down your personal barriers, you are ready to implement the following strategies: 

  1. Identify a small, initial goal, and the barriers to achieving it. Your goal can be for instance to address one of the things that make your fatigue worse, and the barriers are the things that stand between you and achieving that goal now. Keep making your goals smaller and smaller until you feel very confident to be able to achieve it within a few days. 
  2. Use a pacing system that suits you. My personal favourites are the Spoons Theory and the traffic light system. The traffic light pacing system divides your activities into three categories according to the level of energy you spend doing them: high (Red), medium to neutral (Yellow), and restorative activities (Green). This allows you to balance your schedule according to your energy, thereby sustaining your energy for longer. Use our Traffic Light System tool to help you implement this in your life. 
  3. Optimise sleep hygiene – although many people experience fatigue even when sleeping well, sleep hygiene affects our sleep quality and quantity, which in turn impacts fatigue and energy management. Review your bedtime habits, and gradually improve your sleep routine as needed. Focus on one small change at a time, implementing it for a few days before introducing another. For example, start by removing your phone from the bedroom, then introduce a no-screen 30 minute gap before bed. Go to The sleep foundation for more.
  4. Simplify and reduce your load – although it sounds simple, this is one of the most effective, but often-missed strategies for energy management. Focus on finding tasks you can delegate or delete, as small as they may be. For instance, some people ask for help from loved ones with laundry, or with organising social events. Write down at least three activities from your schedule which can be either removed or given to someone else. Even delegating tasks such as cleaning the toilet to another person can have a big impact in the long term. 
  5. Review how things are going regularly, and adjust what isn’t working. 
  6. Reach out for more support when you need it. You can start by contacting a disability friendly Psychologist. 

Liel Bridgford



Psychologist | Writer | Educator

Kultivate Founder & Director

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Acknowledgement of Country

The Kultivate team acknowledges working and living on unceded Aboriginal land. We mainly work on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Boonwurrung people of the Kulin nation. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders — past, present and emerging. We are committed to ongoing learning and working towards reconciliation and justice.