How to Cope With a Serious Medical Condition

Coping is hard work but can lead to healing and better quality of life.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Support Groups

1. Learn as much as you can about your illness. An informed patient feels more in control.

2. Seek help from a psychologist or counselor if you have emotional problems.

3. Find and join a support group. It's good to learn that you're not alone, and statistics show that people in support groups live longer.

4. Start a support group if you can't find one.

5. Enlist your friends and family in your battle.

6. Accept help from others. This can help you to maintain your priorities.

7. Delegate burdensome chores, such as mowing the lawn, but keep the chores that give you pleasure or solace.

8. Find the humor in your situation whenever you can. Laughter has been proved to help the immune system.

9. Take care of the caregivers. Make sure they eat well, get enough rest and get breaks from their responsibilities.

Tips & Warnings

• The Web can be a good medical resource, but watch out for scams and snake oil.

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on 11/22/2005 For anyone suffering from any of the many hundreds of disorders, illnesses, or syndromes, there's a free keyword-searchable database at:
http://www.mentalhelp.net/selfhelp/