To help you learn more about what you shouldn’t say to chronically ill people, we’ve put together a list of nine things you should never say (source: healthline.com):

Sometimes people who live with chronic illnesses that have very few external signs are not believed. If people can’t see your disease, they often don’t think you have a disease–and that’s just not true. IBD has several symptoms that are internal. Besides the rashes (and sometimes, scars), the symptoms of IBD are most of the time invisible for those who don’t know them.

So no, it’s not just in your head and you’re not overreacting. Your chronic illness may be an invisible one, but it’s just as real as any other health condition.

Find out about professional strongman Clint Darden’s battle with ulcerative colitis.