Most of us have hopes for what we want to achieve in a day, two weeks, or in the next year; what we do not anticipate are health issues. We go about our daily lives doing what we can to get us to those goals. While putting in the effort, we sometimes encounter the unexpected; a sniffle here, a headache there, or some other symptom that we very often take for granted.
Experiencing health decline expectedly has many negative impacts on the sick and their loved ones. The weight of the burden of health complications typically falls on both parties affecting their time, emotions, finances, social life, and many other areas. These impacts take decisiveness and strength to confront in order to avoid getting depressed and losing one’s sense of self.
From my personal experience and the learned experience of an older friend of mine, I know it’s easier to talk about staying hopeful than being hopeful when one experiencing a health scare. It takes only one who is sensitive and determined to put themselves in one’s shoes to be able to truly begin to imagine the struggle that someone who’s dealing with ill health and their loved one often feels.
Here are some learned ways to cope with sudden health issues, many hospital visits, and how I have continued to balance my expectations without losing focus on my goals;
Control the Urge to Panic:
The first reaction most of us typically have to an unexpected bad occurrence is panic. I’m sure, as most of us have come to find out, panicking helps no one. If what seems to start out as a mere ache becomes multiple hospital appointments for seemingly unending checkups or treatments, fear and panic are understandable reactions. But, since we know both of those will do us no favors, wouldn’t it be better to just breathe and let things unfold?
Ask anyone who’s been in those shoes before and they’ll tell you that actually calming down, receiving necessary information, and confronting the situation with the most upbeat mood you can conjure goes a long way in making your life easier. Being surprisingly in decent to good spirits while going through such a sensitive time typically gets you surrounded by more helpful people as they are not scared or worried to be around you. And, you need every helpful hand through this journey.
Ask All The Questions:
At your medical appointments, ask every question that comes to mind. Yes, even the seemingly silly ones. You’ll be surprised that your questions can lead to receiving much more information and probably more options for treatment that might make your recovery journey easier to cope with. Also, arming yourself with necessary information about the health issue only works to empower you.
Sudden Health Issues?:
Ignorance is not bliss. This particular point is for those who do not undergo regular medical check-ups. Just about every disease shows up in the form of symptoms at their initial stage. Some of them, if caught on time, can be effectively treated and/or cured.
If for some reason you experience a sudden change in health, you should endeavor to learn about it and ensure that it is not hereditary. If it is not, you can have some comfort in knowing that your closest relatives do not have to share that experience as intimately. And, if it is hereditary, you can inform your loved ones and have them get checked in time in order to make sure that they are either unaffected or quickly treated.
The efforts you put into ensuring that the experience doesn’t become a uniform one will cause you long-term relief and definitely cause whichever relative happens to benefit from it even more relief.
Be Open To Support:
As mentioned earlier, most people tend to react to the news of their ill health with various negative emotions. They tend to get upset with the people who are closest to them or those who are employed to help them even when simple mistakes occur. You don’t want to be one of those people.
Ask yourself these questions: Does their presence in your life make things worse? Are they the cause(s) of your experience? If you answered “No” to both of these questions, switch that attitude up. They do not deserve your cold shoulder. Instead, recognize their efforts and welcome the support.
Be Grateful For All The Help You Get:
Doesn’t it feel good to do favors for the people we know who truly appreciate them? Wouldn’t it feel good to know you’re one of those people that others are eager to do favors for? Gratitude costs you absolutely nothing and causes you to get more opportunities.
Embrace warmth with warmth. Healthcare workers work tirelessly and try their best to keep an upbeat attitude for every patient, neglecting pain from their jobs or from their personal lives. The least you can do to make their work easier is a “Thank you” here and a smile there. Of course, you can’t smile when bad news is just told to you. That would be irrational. But, when you’re receiving help, offering a smile wouldn’t hurt. On the contrary, it makes you prettier and easier to work with.
Focus on Truly Destressing:
Being under stress clouds our minds and blurs our thought processes. There are many ways to ease ourselves away from stress. Some of these ways are common knowledge that needs our awareness to be applied so that they can benefit us.
Be intentional about finding the little joys in every activity you engage in. Meditate for clarity of mind, surround yourself with all the value-adding people and things you enjoy, pamper yourself with a warm bath, etc.
Here’s a link to an article that can truly help you to stay stress-free:
Enjoy Now:
In reality, we as humans can only control so much. It takes a rude awakening for many to learn to let go and just live. After you have struggled with coming to terms with the journey ahead of you, considered the worst scenarios, and even creatively made up grander stories than the one you are in, it is best to intentionally live for every moment you get to enjoy. With or without health issues, tomorrow isn’t promised. Enjoy your now!
Pick up that adorable baby, grandchild, niece, or nephew of yours and dance with them in your hands. Love on your partner like you never thought you were capable of. Enjoy the view of the flowers in your garden. Spend quality time with your favorite people. Watch the sunset with your best friend. In doing any of these, you will find joy.
I hope this article works as an instrument in helping you find yourself through the chaos.
With love, Phoenix
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