Living with a chronic medical condition is hard and can cause significant emotional distress. Learning simple coping mechanisms can help you get through the day when times are tough.
Let’s look at some of the strategies we can try that can help reduce our stress levels when we are going through difficult times.
- Try to stay positive. Focus on the good things in your life – your family, your job, friends, even pets!
Be good to yourself. Make time for YOU. Read a new book, watch a movie, listen to music. - Try to accept the things you cannot change and focus your energy on the things you can change.
- It’s OK to be sad sometimes. It is not a sign of weakness to cry. Sometimes it helps to admit your fears to yourself.
How to cope with your medical condition
- Test frequently to understand your blood sugar trends.
- Get plenty of exercise and practice yoga and/or deep breathing which will help slow your heart rate and relax. Studies have shown that yoga is a great stress reliever. There are some moves that you may not be able to do at first. Start off slowly and don’t push yourself to do a move that is too difficult too soon.
- Get outdoors. Go for a walk or step out into the garden and take some deep breaths. This is easy to do and a proven therapy to help with stress.
- Fuel your body with healthy foods. A balanced diet will give you ample nutrients to keep your metabolism balanced (for example, vitamin D can positively affect your mood).
- Talk to a professional. Sometimes talking to a licensed professional can help to find solutions that may relieve anxiety or stress.
- Talk to other people – join a support network or talk to someone in your family – it is a source of comfort and will help you feel more connected even if only by Skype or phone.
If you want to learn more about healthy coping mechanisms, give your personal Dario Coach a call, they will be pleased to give you helpful tips and advice.
1.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pmc/articles/PMC5843960/
2.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/pubmed/23377209
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