Solutions for you
Do’s
- Do get the best medical care possible.
- Inform yourself about your illness or disability.
- Find others who have similar conditions and talk to them.
- Let family and friends know what you experience and let them help you.
- Keep doing the things you enjoy doing to the best of your abilities.
- Develop and practice healthy habits.
Don’ts
- Don’t blame yourself for your medical problems.
- Don’t isolate yourself from others.
- Don’t think you have to cope with your medical problems alone.
- Don’t try to be stoic about pain and discomfort.
- Don’t let yourself fantasize about the worst case scenarios.
- Don’t focus on cure to the detriment of focusing on good care in the present.
Solutions for a Caretaker
Do’s
- Continue to take good physical care of yourself.
- Learn to read your own signals to know when you must take a break from caretaking.
- Talk to others about the demands of caretaking
- Appreciate what you are doing.
- Allow yourself to feel “negative” emotions like anger and irritation at the person you are caring for.
- Join a support group in your community or on the internet.
Don’ts
- Don’t think you have to be able to solve every problem that arises.
- Don’t work yourself to exhaustion.
- Don’t take it personally if the person you are caring for is irritable or mean.
- Don’t isolate yourself from friends and activities.
- Don’t think that limiting your own life will make it any easier in the long run for the person you are caring for.
- Don’t hesitate to talk to a professional to get help for yourself.
Recent Comments