How to Face a Serious or Life-Threatening Illness

As much as you may believe you have control over your own life, the diagnosis of a serious illness reminds you that you don't. Learning to cope with a serious illness will take time. It is important to keep your focus on living with the illness and continuing to celebrate life.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Share your feelings with someone close. Talk to someone who knows how to listen without trying to "fix." Let the people closest to you care for you. Some people find a support group or journal writing helpful. Find what helps you.
2. Acknowledge that your life is going to change. Be creative and flexible as you seek new ways to realize your dreams and hopes. You have an opportunity to change your priorities and redefine what is important in your life.
3. When you are seriously ill, you have a limited amount of energy. You are entitled to feel angry, but be aware of your feelings and try to be honest about them. Be assertive rather than aggressive. It will save energy and leave you less emotionally worn out.
4. Look back over your life so far. Think about how you coped with difficult situations in the past. Use your skills to help you face your current situation.
5. Slow down. Use deep breathing, meditation and other relaxation techniques. Even people who have never used these techniques before report that they are helpful.
6. Stay in the moment. You can't revisit the past and the future isn't here yet. Stay in the now. You have no way of knowing the future, so live the moment with awareness, patience and compassion.

Tips & Warnings

• Even your loved ones can't read your mind. Tell them what it is you need from them.