To live with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is troublesome both mentally and physically for the affected patient. Symptoms of COPD may result in poorer lung function such as breathlessness, productive cough and phlegm and also frequent exacerbations. The purpose of this study is to show how COPD patients perceive their everyday lives and experience their symptoms. This is a quantitative study where Mann-Whitney Test, Kruskal-Willis Test and a correlation test have been used. The significance level for these test are p<0,05. The study is based on a survey in which 43 patients from different age groups took part ranging between 40 and 90 years old with the majority being between 61-70. Questionnaires that have been used are The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire test (B-IPQ) and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Assessment test (CAT). The results show that in the age group 51-60 there are most people with symptoms cough and phlegm and those with leas symptoms are between 81-90 of age. Eighty-six percent of the patients in the study took medication for COPD and 76% who had a comorbidity. The study also shows that the patients with more symptoms are more concerned about their COPD and have a stronger emotional impact on their lives. Furthermore, women suffer from more symptoms and are more emotionally affected than men. Patients who have stopped smoking have less coughing and mucus production. The conclusion of this study is that those who have quit smoking gets greater control of their COPD and have less symptoms of cough and phlegm than before.