I have been thinking a lot lately about how random our lives are. I am not trying to be negative or fatalistic here, but in my own life and the lives of people around me I am constantly being reminded of how so much of life — no, most of life — is completely out of our control. The whole course of our lives, what we thought we would have or be or do, can suddenly change, in the time it takes to read an email message, make a phone call, or meet with a physician. When we give up the illusion that we are in complete control of our lives, and instead decide to live life on l
While you are taking care of your mind and body, are you also paying attention to your spiritual self-care?
One of the issues that I often talk about with patients is support. Some tell me that their family members are constantly attempting to do things for them, to the point that they are made to feel that they can’t do anything for themselves. Others tell me that their families aren’t helpful at all.
Clients with chronic pain often tell me that doctors are skeptical of their requests for pain medication, and ask them questions that imply that they are concerned that they may have an opiate addiction, and even skeptical that they are being “scammed.” Unfortunately, there are a number of doctor shoppers out there without a valid medical need who are manipulating physicians into prescribing opiates. As a result, individuals with a valid need may not get the help they need.
Sometimes it can feel like life throws a lot of curveballs at once, and they come at us so fast that we feel like we don’t know which one to try and catch, or if we should even bother to try.
Here’s a way to look at what’s going on in your life in a way that might help to reduce your anxiety.
Support is a critical element in coping with a medical diagnosis. It’s important to have someone — or a few someones — who can listen objectively, and who won’t pass judgment or try to "fix’ the newly-diagnosed patient. Unfortunately, friends and family members are often not so helpful in offering emotional support, mainly because they are dealing with their own emotional reactions to the diagnosis, and their own helplessness. Objective friends, members of the clergy, a support group, or a mental health professional may be bette
I am often reminded how easy it is to become so preoccupied with a diagnosis — whether it is a medical or a mental health diagnosis — that life seems to become the diagnosis or, more to the point, the individual seems to turn into a diagnosis. A depression. A diabetes. A cancer. Life becomes about living the diagnosis — the medications, side effects, lifestyle adjustments — and every interaction, every thought, is somehow related to the diagnosis. At some point, individuals begin to define themselves as who they were before the diagnosis and who they are no
If you spend any time tooling around the Internet news sites, you have probably run across the recent news that, by 2050, up to 1 of 3 adults may be diagnosed with diabetes. Of course, this will lead, fairly or unfairly, to further alarms being sounded regarding the problem of obesity. But as someone who is focused on helping patients to cope emotionally with their diagnosis, and get prepared for the road ahead — treatment decisions, lifestyle changes, changes in relationships and roles — I am also concerned about how these individuals are going to deal with this, an
When someone first learns that they have been diagnosed with a health condition, it’s important to connect with people who can listen without judgment and without thinking they have to do something to ‘fix’ their newly-diagnosed loved one. What’s going on with the people you count on? Are they able to sit with you, to listen and simply to be there? Or are they dealing, or not dealing, with their own reactions and unable to listen to how you are feeling? If your own support network can’t be supportive, find a new one. Check out your local mental health
Social networking online is a great way to get connected with others who have the same medical diagnosis to share experiences, ask questions, and offer support. One site that I highly recommend is www.alliancehealth.com. This site offers a number of social networking communities, for those facing diabetes, chronic pain, arthritis, and other conditions. Whatever your concern is, most likely there are any number of other patients and caregivers who have had similar concerns, and can share their personal experiences and even offer s