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Feeling Better Day By Day: Coping With Your Chronic Illness

Chronic illness and chronic pain are very difficult to deal with. If you’re diagnosed with a chronic illness, which is an illness that lasts for a long time and can’t be cured, it might change the way that you look at yourself and your life. Here are some ways to cope every day with your chronic illness.

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Find Healthy Coping Mechanisms

If you have a chronic illness, you might not be feeling great about yourself. You may have had to change your hobbies and the way you spend your time, so you may be at a loss for what comes next. It’s important that you develop good coping mechanisms and that you take up new hobbies that fit with life with a chronic illness. If you’ve always been a fitness freak but you’re finding that harder now, try out a class like yoga, pilates or tai chi, as it’ll provide you with a little physical fitness but in a more gentle way that will be great for your body in the long run. Going for walks can be very helpful – fresh air is good for you! – and you could also look into local book clubs or craft clubs to join.

Change Your Lifestyle

If your health is in a slightly more precarious position than it used to be, now is the time to start making other healthy lifestyle choices. Do your best to stop smoking, particularly if you have a lung related condition, and cut down on alcohol. It’s also a good idea to try to make as much food from scratch as you can so you aren’t eating too many processed foods. However, if you have chronic pain or illness, this is easier said than done. Try making yourself smoothies instead and going for superfoods like chia seeds and blueberries to get some extra nutrients into your diet.

Go To A Therapist

When you have a chronic illness, it’s never far from the top of your mind and you might find yourself wanting to talk about it a lot as you try to sort out the way that you feel. However, you might not want to spend your valuable time with your friends talking about something that isn’t particularly cheerful that occupies a lot of the rest of your time! It’s a good idea to talk to a therapist about the way you feel as chronic illness and pain can often lead to depression – and it’s important to be aware of your mental health.

Keep Communicating With Your Employer

Most employers will be very understanding about your illness so long as you keep them as informed as possible so they can plan for the future and cover any days that you might be off. Occupational health assessments can help you figure out what is and isn’t possible for you, and in the workplace you could talk to your boss and co-workers about changing your role so it’s best suited to your abilities.

Learn How To Control Your Illness

One way to feel better about your chronic illness is to learn as much about it as you can. There isn’t any point in endless googling, as chances are it’ll make you more worried than you have to be. However, finding out information from your doctors and medical team and from other reputable sources is a good idea. Knowing how to make yourself feel better and about possible treatment options will empower you to make informed decisions about your body.

Talk About How You Feel

A lot of the time you might not want to talk about how you feel, but the truth is that it’s good and healthy to talk to your friends about both your body and your mind. It’s crucial to maintain good relationships with people as they’ll be what help you through your darker days. If you don’t feel well enough to go out with your friends, invite them over for a takeaway and movie night instead, and focus on quieter local trips at the times of day that suit you best. Be open and honest about the way you feel and allow your friends to support you.

Be Gentle With Yourself

Make sure that you treat yourself with kindness and accept whatever limitations you may have as your new way of life. Treat yourself as you would treat a friend with a chronic illness. Although it’s a good idea to set aims and goals for yourself, don’t beat yourself up if you don’t quite get there. Take each day at a time and try to stay in tune with your mind and body so you can be healthy in the best way for you.

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