• Read information about sarcoidosis.
• Find a doctor who knows how to treat sarcoidosis.
• Ask your doctor questions about the disease and treatment plan.
• Don't be afraid to seek a second opinion about your condition.
• Understand your treatment plan and any side effects that may occur.
• Follow the plan closely. Report side effects to your doctor.
• Advise your doctor about new symptoms.
• In other words, take an ACTIVE role in maintaining your own health.

Fatigue is often a part of many autoimmune diseases such as sarcoidosis. Learn to pace yourself so that you can maintain a relatively consistent level of energy. Activities performed at a slower, steadier rate allow you to feel better physically and emotionally.

Reasonable exercise and a good diet are important in maintaining as high a level of health as possible. Talk to your doctor about a regular exercise program that is suited to your condition and ability. Also talk to your doctor about any special requirements for your diet. Be sure to incorporate the requirements into a healthy eating plan.

Diagnosis, adjustment, and daily living with a chronic disease can cause a variety of emotions.

• When first diagnosed with a chronic, possibly crippling, disease, individuals may go through the cycle of emotions often associated with the grieving process caused by a significant loss or major change in one's life.
• Understand that bad things can sometimes happen to good people and that life is not always fair.
• Think about your feelings and learn to understand them. Share your feelings with your partner or other carer so he/she may better understand. Don't be afraid to lean on your support system when you need to, but be sure to remind them often how much you appreciate them.
• Don't expect to adjust overnight. It takes times to learn to cope with a situation that may impact on the rest of your life. Try to look at your illness as just one more challenge in your life and take one day at a time.
• The unpredictability of a chronic illness can make you feel a lack of control over your life and health. Find an activity that you can control. Plan it to suit your particular situation. Even if you can't work outside the home, there are many activities that can provide a focus for your life. Something as simple as finding a way to help someone else is often a way to feel good about yourself.
• Get out of the house on a regular basis no matter how difficult it may seem at times. Many people can fall into a pattern of remaining at home all the time because of problems with fatigue or mobility. This may intensify feelings of isolation and depression. Plan a special activity, then get out and do it. You will feel so good.
• Talk with family, friends, and support group members by phone on a regular basis. This is another way of overcoming feelings of isolation and depression.

Join a support group. Even if you have a very supportive carer, that person cannot possibly understand all your physical/mental feelings or your emotional responses to those feelings as well as another patient can. In addition, your carer needs a break from your illness occasionally so that he/she does not become as overwhelmed by it.

If you cannot cope with your emotional responses to your illness, don't be afraid to seek professional counseling. It is not a sign of failure on your part.

Learn ways to relax. Try several and see what works for you. Learning to relax is important in controlling the stress related to having a chronic illness in addition to helping control the pain caused by many of the symptoms of sarcoidosis.

Laugh and smile as much as you can. Make the most of each day by enjoying the little things as well as the big. Don't let your condition stop you from living your life to the fullest.