Helping people cope with their chronic illness

 

Although different people have different aspects on all this- one undisputable fact is that having a long-term, or chronic, illness can disrupt your life in many ways. One thing is when someone is feeling pain or simple tiredness for a short while- and completely different thing is when your  illness might affect your  appearance or your physical abilities and independence. When we talk about kinds- everything is even worse- for them- chronic illnesses can be frightening, because they may not understand why this is happening to them. It is logical to assume that all these changes can cause stress, anxiety and anger. It is difficult for them to understand that relying on other people when it is necessary does not indicate weakness or failure. What to do in this case- that is the real question!? It there anything we could do to help our closest which suffer from some of the many chronic illnesses there are today!? Patients, family and friends should be there for the patient and should all focus on the strengths that remain, on the accomplishments that can still be achieved.

As we already mentioned, it is completely different when we are talking about some short term conditions such as simple bronchitis or the flu, because  you know you will be feeling better and functioning normally within a week or so. A chronic illness is different because it can ruin your lifestyle in many ways.  What are some common effects of a chronic illness? Well, definitely the pain and fatigue are probably the most common symptoms of chronic illness patient!  Beside this perspective, most of the chronic illnesses have also consequences on you physical appearance! This definitely can diminish your positive self-image and demolish your self-esteem. This is the moment when patients may prefer isolation and withdraw from friends and social activities. Feeling of being useful is also one thing that chronic illness patients don’t have! It is because chronic illness can also influence your ability to function at work.  Of course, this is all accompanied with terrible stress which leads to frustration, anger, hopelessness, and, at times, depression.  

People with chronic illnesses, in most cases, pass through different psychological states, especially if they are younger! This is because the younger people know that they are missing a lot! Some of the most expressed phases are:

Experts are saying that, during the crisis stage, the patient is seriously ill and very frightened. The illness is causing both- psychological and physical damage!  The patients often don’t accept the fact that they are ill but believe that they will recover completely! That’s why-the patient is directed inward toward healing, and controlling panic. Of course, they are usually confused and frightened!  If we would like to draw a summary, then we could tell that, in most cases- everyone responds well in a crisis, but, unfortunately- this changes with time! This is because the patient often cannot appreciate signs of concern and affection of people surrounding them. This makes this close people angry and everything becomes a infinite circle! For patients, surviving is the primary concern, and they don’t have time to think about anything else!

After that, acute state of disease, there is an isolation time! This happens when the patient realizes that his disease isn't sometimes that will go away! Unfortunately- there will never be full recovery. All this, in most cases, is producing in patient a stiffness or frozenness in dealings with others and oneself. This stage is also a big problem for the family because it is often exhausted during the acute crisis stage. Both patient and family are now aware of the fact that the life may never be the same.

This is because the idea of chronic illness is really terrifying to most people who are not ill and we can do nothing about it, really!  Unfortunately- there are several emotional barriers in the patient and it is very difficult for them to ask for help because of a strong feeling of guilt about having a disease.

Most experts are saying that anger is the stage most hazardous to your emotional well-being. Unfortunately- because of expressed feelings of terror, anxiety, and helplessness, and because of the sense of injustice, patients often enter the state of tremendous anger. In most cases- the closest do not being exposed to this anger, but rather they target themselves. Experts are saying that it can be so expressed that it can lead to suicide. There are two reasons of all this self-targeted anger- it is almost impossible to be furious with fate and there is no external opponent. The suicide sometimes seems like an only solution! Another reason for suicide is definitely that illness causes a sense of helplessness.

We must not forget that there is also a family which is also affected with the fact of having a chronic illness patient in a house! Experts are saying that it is the best thing when families understand that the sick person is not the same entity as the disease! How come? Well, they should understand that the whole family is in this together. They should support each other in order to cope with both the anxiety and the practical life changes. Patient should, with help of his family, try to take back control in small steps. 

Experts are saying that there several typical error thought which can cause nothing but wrong believes and sense of worthlessness!  Some of those are:

1.      "I am not the person I once used to be."

2.      "I can't provide for my family."

3.      "Others are not what they used to be”

4.      "Everyone thinks I am nothing but a burden”

5.      "Everybody is getting on with their life and I am stuck here."

6.      "No matter how many times I try to get up, the illness flare up and knock me down again every time. There's no point in trying."

Our job is to prevent these kinds of thought on our friends or family members that suffer from some chronic illness!

Patients should be pointed out into some right directions! Some of the useful tips for them should be:

·         You must have a fighting spirit

·         You must like yourself under all circumstances, even when you think you don't look that good

·         You must have a strong belief that you are more than your body. There is more to you than the physical functions you can perform

·         You must have a problem-solving attitude

·         Accept your illness and move on with your life

There are many types of help available for people with chronic illnesses. Among them are:

·         Support groups

When we talk about support groups we should know that they are a very useful sharing experience, although there are some experts that don’t believe so. Why are they so useful? Well, the fact is that they provide an environment where you can learn new ways of dealing with your illness.  

·         Individual counseling

Unfortunately, not every patients benefit from support groups treatment because sometimes people have problems that are better addressed in a one-on-one atmosphere. In this case, some individual counseling sessions could be extremely useful!

·         Coping skills

Here are some useful coping skills:

o        Make Your Expectations Realistic

The real thing that you should accept is that you could never be cured totally! Your illness is something you need to accept and learn to live the best with it! You can dramatically improve your lifestyle if you just start thinking that way!

o        Approach Problems Actively

What does this mean? Well, this ability consists of defining the problem and determining the outcome you want. You must have enough energy which you could need to constitute a step toward the solution.

o        Seek Appropriate Help

Try to accept the attitude that, it is not a moral weakness to ask for assistance! Many chronic illness patients can probably recognize the tendency to regard asking for help as shameful. This is completely wrong! Benefit from anything that you can!!

o        Handle Your Anger

Patient must understand that his or her anger must be lowered! He or she must learn to be emotionally efficient and energy conscious. Energy is a tremendous problem for those with chronic illness because there is none to waste.

o        Participate in Social Life

The most important thing for a patient is to embrace all the positive energy he or she get! For these purposes you can use your family, friends, self-help groups connected with your illness, or community groups.

o        Live In The Present

Patient must learn to live in the present! How come? Well, although it could be extremely challenging to learn, is to look neither too far backward or too far forward. All these things from the past or from the future can ruin you emotionally. Live in the present!