How To Get Back To Normal After Illness or Injury

 

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

When you’ve experienced a serious illness or accident, it can alter the way you feel about a great variety of things. After all, even if you’ve been left with no physical life-changing injuries, it can still be a huge psychological event for you. So how do you go about getting into the swing of things? 

Accept that there is no right or wrong path

It’s not uncommon for people to put a lot of pressure on themselves in these situations. They think that there is a certain way they should feel or speed at which they should achieve things. That isn’t the case. It can be difficult to acknowledge this as we see a lot of stories in the press and online about people who have overcome illness and injury and then suddenly they’re starting businesses, establishing charities, or running ultra marathons. That’s great if that’s what you want to do but maybe you just want to get back to your own life and feel good about yourself. That’s OK too. 

Recovery isn’t always a straight line either. You might feel fine for a while, then have a setback week, months, or even years later. This is normal. 

Deal with the psychological effects 

If you’re involved in a car accident, your injuries may heal but you may well develop issues around traveling by car or driving in a particular area. Getting yourself psychologically healthy should be a priority. If you feel that you need to speak to someone in a professional capacity, then reach out to a specialist or ask your doctor to refer you. 

There are other things you can do to deal with anxiety, including things like CBD oil, cognitive behavioral therapy or learning exercise, and relaxation techniques. 

There are also a lot of support groups online that you can join to talk with people who are going through the same things as you are. It can make all the difference.

Use it as a springboard

Although it might not seem like it, you can look for positives in many situations. For example, if you’ve had a health scare, then you can use this as motivation to change your diet and lifestyle or re-evaluate your priorities to spend more time on yourself with family and friends. Many people find clarity in certain aspects of life they never had before.  

Communicate with friends and family

Having a support network of friends and family around you can be an amazing thing. But it can also have some issues which arise from lack of communication. For example, perhaps you’re feeling a bit coddled and that you people don’t need to do as much for you. Rather than expect them to know this, communicate it early rather than feel resentful. Conversely, if you’re struggling and need help or to spend more time with people, let them know that too. People just want to help but aren’t really sure what to do so they can overcompensate and make you feel smothered, or give you too much space and leave you feeling isolated. 

Reaching out might be difficult but can make all the difference to your recovery.

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This post was written with Life According to Steph readers in mine