Proactive Ways to Deal With Long Term Illness

Developing a long term illness or being diagnosed with a disease of some kind is difficult for anyone- in fact, it’s listed as one of the top stressful life events that a person can go through. But if you were previously very fit and well and are earlier on in your life, chances are it will hit you that bit harder as it will be so unexpected. Remember, your diagnosis doesn't have to rule your life, there will be changes you need to make but you’re still ‘you’ so don’t let it knock you. Here’s what you need to know. 

Learn more about it

Whether you’ve been diagnosed with a kind of cancer, an autoimmune disease, an organ defect or issue, diabetes, epilepsy, hearing loss, vision loss or something else entirely, your first move should be to get educated about the illness. Find out if there are any triggers or warning signs to look out for, how it’s treated and what lifestyle and medication options are available to you. Knowing what the illness is and how it affects your body can give you an element of control, and make you feel better about managing the disorder. There are lots of reliable sources of information on the internet such as the NHS website and online medical journals, as well as legitimate sites for individual illnesses such as www.diabetes.org.uk/, www.epilepsy.org.uk/ and www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk. Use websites like these which are professional and peer reviewed with current, proven research and information. Blogs and journals can be useful reading material but remember, the information in these kinds of articles hasn’t been proven and could have been written by anyone so source your information wisely.

Keep on looking after yourself

If you have a health condition, it’s more important than ever to continue looking after yourself. This means eating a healthy diet, getting enough exercise, finding ways to relax, getting enough sleep and staying hydrated. Depending on your condition you might need to switch up the ways you do some of these things, for example if you’ve been diagnosed with Crohn's disease then you might have to cut certain ingredients out of your diet or come up with a new food plan, and if your illness means your mobility is affected you may need to find new ways to exercise. But speak to your healthcare provider, find out what healthy living should mean to you and how you can go about this. By living well, you’ll prevent other kinds of illnesses from occurring, and will generally feel better too regardless of your condition. 

Pay attention to your mental health

Physical health and mental health is closely linked, and so if you’re struggling with one then the other is likely to suffer. Not to mention, the shock of a health diagnosis can affect your 

mental health and potentially cause you to worry about what it all means for both now and the future. Seek help if you’re struggling, there are plenty of therapies, medications and combinations of the two that can help you get back on track and regain control of your mind. 

Look into alternative therapies

Always take the advice of your doctor or healthcare provider when it comes to medication, you should never stop any medicines you’ve been given to switch to alternate therapies. However, they can often be used alongside medication often to help with relaxation and pain management. Aromatherapy, hypnotherapy, reflexology, acupuncture and massage therapy are all examples. If you’re feeling stressed or upset these kinds of things can often help to boost mood and deal with pain and discomfort without having to up the dosage of harsh pain medications.

Join support groups

Finally, being understood and connecting with others who have the same illness as you can be really helpful. Not only do they know exactly what you’re going through, but they can offer advice and guidance from a personal perspective. There are lots of forums and facebook groups online that are well worth looking into. It can help you to realise that you’re far from alone, that lots of others are going through the exact same thing.

Have you recently been diagnosed with an illness? How have you found ways of coping?