Living with a chronic illness can take a toll on your life and can make you feel lonely and caught up in a roller coaster of emotions. The only thing that you want is to live your life in a way that does not require you to go through difficulty for even the most ordinary tasks.
In this article, we will share with you 4 ways that will help you see the positive side amidst all the chaos.
1. Self-Care
The most important thing to learn during your journey is the importance of developing self-reliance. This can only be done once you realize that your body is not the enemy and that there are many other people out there who are suffering from the same or an even worse condition. For proper self-care, you need to give attention to the following aspects:
a. Acceptance and Understanding
When talking about self-care, it is important to mention that the only way you can improve the quality of your life is by first accepting your condition and focusing on making your life better. Once you have accepted this, you should move on to doing all that is necessary to understand your condition as much as you can. Knowing about your condition and understanding, it makes you a more informed person and will help you in managing your condition.
b. Making Yourself a Priority
Many times we find ourselves putting our interests at last. This is one thing that you need to eliminate to improve the quality of your life when suffering from a chronic condition. During your illness, there will be times when you feel disappointed by the care that you get from those around you. This will help you learn how to rely on yourself for proper care.
c. Adaptability & Flexibility
Accepting your condition is the most difficult step and once accomplished, opens doors to accepting limitations that are brought about due to the illness. This acceptance of limitations will help you change your lifestyle according to your needs and be flexible about it. You will need to quit the habit of pushing yourself to the edge and learn to admit to yourself when you cannot move forward anymore.
2. Medication
Knowing how to cope with the introduction of so many medicines in your lifestyle is essential to lead a stress-free life. Here are some things that you should focus on regarding your medication:
a. Easier Access
When going through a chronic condition, the last thing you need is an added burden of worrying about when and how to get your medication. For this purpose, you have a lot of options in the market that offer prescription delivery that can eliminate a lot of your stress. Choosing a prescription delivery option will take a lot of burden off of your shoulders as having access to medicines is essential for your overall well-being.
b. Timing
Even though prescription delivery will keep in check that you always have sufficient stock, the consumption of medication is something that you need to pay attention to. Make things easier for yourself and keep a clear schedule of medications.
c. Understanding
To follow all the steps mentioned above, it is important first to understand why you are taking the medication that has been prescribed to you and how essential it is for your betterment. People sometimes skip their medication as a result of the frustration that they feel due to their illness whereas in reality the medication has been prescribed to you to improve the quality of your life.
d. Physical Health
Just because you are taking medication does not imply that you do not need any physical activity or other health measures to improve your condition. Exercising, Walking and Yoga is some ways you can reduce your stress levels. Also, eating a healthy diet is also important for your body’s health.If you really want to show your body some love, consider taking vitamins. You can find the best vitamins for memory loss, fatigue, and brain function online or ask your doctor what he or she recommends.
3. Support
When going through such a difficult phase in your life, it is essential to receive all the support you can get. During your illness, you will have some bad days when all you want to do is stay in bed and not move. It is during these times that you should consider one of the following:
a. Support Group
You can find plenty of support groups that have been designed especially to bring together people suffering from your particular situation. These support groups prevent you from feeling sorry for yourself by letting you interact with people going through the same.
b. Family
Your family is the strongest support system you have. It is during such times that you realize how important it is to spend quality time with your family. Spending time with them will make you feel lighter and happier.
c. Avoiding Toxic People
Sometimes there are people with whom when you spend time, you end up feeling negative because of their lack of understanding or overly sympathetic behavior towards you. It is recommended to stay away from such people at all costs and remove them from your life.
4. Emotional Health
Not only your physical but also emotional health will be affected enormously because of the condition you are in. It is not uncommon for people suffering from a chronic condition to fall into problems such as anxiety or depression. To keep this in check you need to give attention to the following:
a. Patience & Gratitude
There are a lot of positive effects that gratitude has on your overall well-being. This is why it is advised to keep a gratitude journal to witness how positivity can change your life. Though it is difficult to remain patient and show gratitude during such difficult times, doing so will make you more positive and happy.
b. Asking For Help
If you find yourself regularly getting depressed or anxious, it is advised to seek help as soon as you can. You need to realize that it is a normal part of the situation that you are going through and should not feel hesitant to ask for help.
Bottom Line
Suffering from a chronic condition should not be seen as the end, and you should take all the steps mentioned above to improve the quality of your life and stay strong during this journey. Knowing your limitations and accepting them will free you from a lot of stress and will help you lead a happy life.
