Experiencing Setbacks? -Read This

Once in a while, every one of us experiences some setbacks in life. When these misfortunes come, there are some that you are able to deal with, while others are completely beyond your control.

This often happens when you lose a dear one, your parents’ property are lost or even when you are diagnosed with a terrible disease.

Disease can make you lose control of so many things in your life that it becomes extremely important to take responsibility for what you can control.

You do what you know you need to do to help yourself. When you take action to help yourself, you empower yourself, which eventually leads to better health!

It sounds easy, but it is not at all. You may even be neglected by your friends. It requires effort, concentration, belief in yourself and support from your loved ones to confirm what you know you have to do.

You will get lots of advice from friends and family, but the truth is that deep down we all know what we need to do to help ourselves.

A chronic illness provides you with an opportunity for reflection and self realisation.

If you do nothing else, find a way to make peace with where you are right now in your life.

With an illness, you only have control over a handful of things. This is what you must embrace. Know that your value is not in what you accomplish or what you own but simply in the fact that you still have life.

Here are some tips to guide you:

Participate in activities that make you feel whole, alive and loved.

• Read books that inspire you and has humour.

• Watch movies that motivate you.

• Avoid movies and books that will make you feel bad or sorry for yourself.

• Seek counselling if you need support. If you’re dealing with an illness which requires you to stop eating or doing certain things, you most likely need counselling to help and guide you through it.

• Maintain some type of social network.
You may have lost many friends in this process. Sadly, it is a natural part of dealing with a chronic illness.

But you must build some sort of support system and rebuild family relationships.

Healthy living includes deep and meaningful relationships — they are a part of our life force and help in the healing process.

Just communicate what you are feeling and it will free you from the self-oppression that is so common with illness.

• It is right to cry. Get it out. If you don’t, it’s going to come out when you’re not looking and then you will be really upset. It is healthy, it is natural and it is necessary.

• It takes a while but you are going to have to accept your situation for what it is.

Most important, ask for help. Learn to accept help from others; it empowers you and others.

• If you have a chronic illness, you absolutely must avoid stress at all costs. Life in general involves a lot of activities which can make you tired, worry, excited, etc. All these can be stressful but you have to learn how to minimise the stress.

The way you react to the various things that require your attention — such as doing your homework, washing clothes, cleaning the house and even getting along with your siblings and friends — can help you gain enough rest and make you healthy each day.