Health Issues We Struggle WithStruggling with health issues can be very tiring and depressing. You yourself might be having health issues or know someone who is. We need to be extra sensitive to their needs. Also we have to just “shake” it off if they are moody towards us. I know that is most difficult to do. My Mother has had a health problem for over 20 years now. She falls, gets headaches and gets dizzy all the time. She also gets very depressed. She even expresses not wanting to live. Sometimes I feel like I can’t hear one more complaint. That’s when I pray and ask God for patience. It also helps if you have someone that you can confide in. I know I can tell my sister Veda and she’ll understand. Also we are not human punching bags and have the right to express ourselves to our loved one and tell them what they are saying is hurting our feelings. It’s always wise to start off with “MY feelings got hurt when you were saying…” instead of “You hurt me when….” So they don’t feel attacked. If you have a loved one that is terminally ill or struggling with health issues there is a wonderful website called “Care Pages” that you can actually keep the other family and friends updated without having to call or write a million letters. You just send them the address of your “Care Page” and they can log on and check the status. It’s not only for the terminally ill. For example, my father-in-law is having open-heart surgery and to keep the family updated on the progress we can have a care page. Pretty cool huh? You can receive messages of encouragement and support, read stories and meet new friends that understand YOU. If you’re the one having health issues, this could be an outlet for you to keep your family informed and to read about other people being in the same situation as yourself. Journaling is also an awesome way to deal with your situation. Whether it’s your health or a loved ones health you are going to need an outlet. If you are tired and stressed from trying to take care of a loved one, stealing little naps here and there can really help. You might be thinking “I can’t sleep, it’s too light in here and noisy”. Well, this may look silly, but go get an eye mask and ear plugs. That is my survival kit. Make sure you get the highest noise rating to drown out sound. I like the brand “Hearos”. You can get them at any drug store. Eye mask are at drug stores and department stores.
If you are too tired and too stressed to eat consider carrying little snacks. Whether you’re the patient or the caretaker you need to keep your own energy up. I carry granola bars, cheese and crackers, bottled water and gum. Yes, gum. Sometimes your running an errand for yourself or your loved one and you can’t eat for a while. Gum gives you instant gratification and the chewing tricks your stomach into thinking you got a snack : ) Vitamins are a must. If you’re healthy, they help to keep you that way. If your not, they help you on your road to recovery. Here are a couple of my favorite sites for vitamins. Just remember not all vitamins and vitamin stores are created equal.
The most important thing to remember is, you can’t help others if your not taking care of your own health. You’ll be cranky and make the situation more stressful. Here’s to all of us on our road to recovery and health.
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