Tips for Living With a Chronic Illness, Learn more:
Living with Chronic Illness can be stressful and frightening. It is helpful to learn how to cope with daily stress once you’ve gone beyond the initial diagnosis shock. A long-term health condition can make you feel vulnerable.
It takes time for you to adjust and become aware of what works for you and what does not work. You can take steps to improve life and minimize the challenges associated with Chronic Illness. Here are four steps to deal with Chronic Illness
Take Time to Understand Your Condition
It can be quite helpful to know all about your health, from the treatment options available to the symptoms and the do & don’ts. Be specific about your questions to your doctor. Do not leave everything up to the doctors. If you do not understand ask questions. Make your health you business, do the necessary research Research on the Internet from a reliable source and make notes. Don’t forget to pay close attention to your body, as sometimes something that might have worked for others can do the opposite for you. Note what makes your illness worse or better. Sharing these notes with your doctor may help them better understand your condition and prescribe the most effective treatment.
Self- Management
You could set up a reminder to take medicines on time as directed and attend scheduled appointments with the health team. Also, turn to a healthier diet made up of nutritious foods that boost your health. Control your stress by being mindful of your daily decisions. Daily meditation is one of the ways you can control your stress levels. Surround yourself with positive people and positive thoughts.
Handling your Emotions
You can feel a range of emotions while dealing with chronic illness. Fear, anxiety, grief, loneliness, pain, stress can cloud your thoughts, making you feel weaker. Find ways to tackle these emotions, exercise, socialize, meditation. It helps the most to have a daily routine in such, do not just lay in bed. A study found that people who have a daily routine tend to manage their emotions better. Create a list of things that excite you and add them to your daily routine. It might be as simple as reading a book, spending time with your pet, or watching your favorite movie or series.
Being Adaptable
Adopting a new lifestyle can be difficult if you have long-term health conditions. It’s going to take time, and you need to be patient. Take a problem-solving approach to focus on the solution, not the problem. Embracing change will help you face the challenges as soon as they arise.
Conclusion
Dealing with chronic illness can be overwhelming, one must take steps to manage your health. Learning about your conditions gives you confidence in your actions. Most people stress the idea of having a chronic illness, but at the end of the day, by practicing self-care and making marginal adjustments, you achieve a normal lifestyle
Stay safe during this difficult period get your medical supplies
I would say that the most important piece of advice you give here is to do your own research and not leave it all up to your doctor. This would include seeking out others who may have the same or similar conditions. While what worked for them may not work for you, it will help you know what questions to ask the doctor as well as different ways others used to cope with their emotions and adjust to their new life. With so many people suffering from chronic illness, it’s good to know that you have this advice available! Thank you!
Thank you Cynthia for commenting, Knowledge is power, what we do with the what we know is a greater is more important.
Hello dear, this is a great article you got here, this piece of information is really really helpful in today’s society because illness is something that we can not look away from and as such we need to understand how to deal with illness, firstly we need to understand the condition of the illness, we should always try to take our drugs , we should learn to control our emotions and the likes . Thanks for sharing this.
Hi Maureen,
Thank you, Chronic disease is all around us, something we cannot irradicate. Self-control plays a vital role in dealing with it.
I have found that chronic illness affects mental health.
Being diagnosed with a chronic illness creates a myriad of strong and long-lasting feelings. These can go from exhaustion and anxiety to guilt and resentment because of demands made on family and friends. Feelings of frustration and sadness are also quite frequent when you realize the life you formerly knew has now changed.
How can I fight against these mental health issues?
You can begin by being grateful for all the good things in your life, more blessings will follow. The second is a positive mindset ‘Your thought become words, words become actions, actions become your character’ two simple steps listed above should assist you
I enjoyed your website. In particular the post on procrastination it had some things I identify with since I am a chronic procrastinator. And there was one particular part where it says you can make up a reward for yourself for getting something done on time. I think it’s a great idea. Now I will see if it works for me.
Thank you for your comment
This is a great article for people how have trouble with such illnesses. You write really well and give advices and suggestions that people can really use. I agree that a lot of influence have mentally thoughts. We need to be strong in our head first, that is first step.
Thank you very much for commenting
To Struggle with chronic-illness is such a tough situation for many people. I am thankful for so far, side stepping any illness, so far !. I know some people that do have a very hard-difficult time trying to wrap their head around making themselves come up with a problem solving approach to focus on the solution, not on the problem.
I have found this in a friend or two, that their mind set is fixating on the more negative side of thought than the positive side. I just have to think how I feel when I am in downer mood that things are not always easy to get to a healthier place at that point in time. Another one of your key components is for anyone healthy or not to have a daily routine and sticking to it.
As a friend one can only do so much with out knowledge of the circumstance. The best thing for me to do would to sent them your way [ tips-to-deal-with-or-overcome-chronic-illness ] Thanks for posting this.
Would a individuals attitude be somewhat responsible for how long a process of dealing with chronic illness may be?
An individuals attitude plays a major role in the length f time you deal with any situation. A positive attitude gets positive results and a negative attitude gets negative results
Hello there! This is an important article. I think as a victim of the chronic condition, it is always critical that one truly makes the effort to understand their condition and to take the necessary precautions such as the case when the doctor is not around. I think the scariest thing is when you really need the doctor but the doctor happens to be away. Of course, there is the point of being knowledgeable about one’s own condition versus creating your own medication regimen outside of the doctor’s treatment plan. I have several aunts who decided to stop taking their medications because they felt “better” and was worried about side effects. By stopping medications on their own, it actually led to a bunch of problems as a result. I also have a few aunts who just takes everything that their doctor prescribes without being concerned what it is they are taking. Do you have any recommendations to resolve these issues? I guess it is kind of already answered in your post. Thanks for creating this!
Education is the key, however, an individual should also be observant, when it comes to their health. Most times we take things for granted like loss of weight, headaches, nervousness. Doctors are educated and should be given a fair chance.