Living with a chronic illness is no picnic. I know because asthma has been my constant companion since childhood. We have a love-hate relationship – it loves being with me while I hate it. But it would be wrong of me to say that it hasn’t had any positive effect on my life.

Usually, the talk about chronic illnesses revolves around their symptoms and cures. But just this once, for a change, I’ve decided to take a look at some of the advantages of having asthma. Life hands out some particularly bitter lemons to asthmatics, but with lots of sugar and inhaler puffs, we can still make some lemonade.

See: Over 10m suffer from asthma in Pakistan

So without further ado, here are some of the advantages I have had over the years thanks to my chronic friend:

1. A permanent excuse to take the day off

Some of the sick leaves I’ve taken have been genuinely merited. After sleepless nights spent wheezing away, I am not able to drag myself off to work.

Then, there are other days when I just wake up on the wrong side of the bed and going to work sounds like a trip to purgatory. On those days, it is easier to just make an excuse, roll over and go back to sleep. After all, having asthma is a much better excuse than “urgent work at home”.

2. The introvert’s best friend

Excuses just aren’t for work. If you are not a social butterfly who can flit from event to event without ever getting tired, a chronic illness comes in handy like nothing else.

From brandishing my inhaler to avoiding boring conversations at shaadis to mumbling platitudes over the phone (in between exaggerated wheezes) to friends irate at yet another missed get together, I’ve done it all. Not everyone is happy dressing up and going out all the time. Some of us like to lounge around in bed, watching pirated episodes of Game of Thrones.

3. Weapon in sibling warfare

Who do the parents believe “started it” when one child is in the bloom of health, strong and full of mischief, and the other is a small, sickly thing with no energy? Even when the charges against me were proven to be true, asthma acted as a shield and saved me from punishments.

Sorry siblings, chronic illness beats fairness every time.

4. Icebreaker for all occasions

Every once in a while, it becomes unavoidable to engage in small talk with someone, and what is a more fertile topic than illness? Whether you are talking to a fellow sufferer or someone who has a ghoulish interest in other people’s suffering (believe me, there are such individuals), you are never short of things to say.

If nothing else, you can regale company with tales of your worst sick days. It is never too early to plant the seeds of a future pretext in case you want to avoid meeting the same people another time.

5. A path to greater knowledge

Do you know the 101 surefire ways to cure asthma? Because I do. Practically everyone I meet just happens to know someone who had asthma but has now been cured, thanks to some totka or medicine.

Also read: Experts say steroids inhalers are best asthma treatment

Then I’m always badgered to try that cure since it is sure to work. Sometimes I do, because aren’t practicals always better than theory? But sadly, my asthma has not yet decided to part company with me. It is more loyal than other people’s asthma.

6. Facilitator to epiphanies

Most people never get the chance to do some soul-searching and draw important conclusions about the meaning of life because they are too busy running errands during the day and too busy sleeping during the night.

Well, I don’t have that problem because: a) I’m too lazy to run errands, and b) my illness keeps me up at night.

While the rest of the world is dreaming, I ponder the mysteries of the universe. Who knew clogged sinuses could contribute so much to intellectual development.

7. Empathy generator

Someone who has never had serious illness or has not been hampered from enjoying life to the fullest because of physical weakness, cannot understand what a burden an unwell body can be. Those of us who have been forbidden from having mango achaar and were looked over when school sports awards were handed out, know the worth of having good health.

I have a lot of empathy for all my fellow sufferers, who have to live with chronic pain, listen to people drone on about potential cures, and bear the looks of pity doled out by people who realise that these are illnesses that can be managed but not cured.

So there you have it. Asthma and other chronic illnesses are not easy to live with, but even they have some upsides. Happy medicating fellow sufferers.

The month of May marks Asthma Awareness Month every year.