1 reply to this topic

[Dee]

Dr. Sharma,

As you have pointed out, there is a lot of emotional issues when dealing with a chronic illness. All of the emotions you listed I have often felt and have had to deal with. What is the best thing we can do for our emotional well being in our every day life? How can we keep from getting discouraged, or at least deal with it better? How do we prevent our illness from taking over our life?

Dee

[Dr. Sharma]

Hi Dee

It is a vast subject so know that I am just giving a brief answer.

Emotional work, like any other part of self-care or medical care, requires us to constantly work on it, like you take medicine "A" 3 times a day, Medicine "B" twice a day and an "inhaler" as soon as you notice something coming on. Emotinal work is never completed, you jsut keep getting better at it if you constantly keep working at it.

Therfore, surround yourself with positive people, books, quotations, affirmations, visualizations, pictures, objects, and above all, your own thoughts and emotions to remind you all the time that you must spend as much time staying in the positive mental attitude as possible.

Don't focus on what you have lost, but on what is left.

Find a positive meaning of your life and your disease.

When you experience troubling symptoms, see yourself getting past them and getting better, such as mucus clearing, cough subsiding, breath calming down and wondering how it all got better.

Keep a calm attitude even when you are experiencing troubling symptoms by constantly telling yourself something like "If I get more angry, frustrated, anxious or depressed, it won't be helpful. If I stay positive and somehow manage to get a smile on my face or find something funny to laugh about, I will be helping the healing forces.

These are just a few thoughts for a start

Yes, there is something right in the age old saying, "Mind over matter."


Vijai