After the Diagnosis: It’s a New Life

Having the good health that allowed you to enjoy an active life may not have prepared you for this moment.  If you have generally been in good health your whole life, the kind of well being that has enabled you to enjoy an active lifestyle, a sudden diagnosis of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, arthritis, or something worse or life-threatening, like cancer, dementia or AIDS, can be shattering.  You may be likely to get overwhelmed by all the emotions that may come rushing at you as the implications get clearer.

The shock may not dissipate all at once.  It may take time before everything sinks in.  In time, you may eventually come to terms with your diagnosis and the accompanying changes it may take to live with it.  It is, however, possible too that you can be stuck, unbelieving and incapable of accepting the diagnosis or the ensuing changes.  When this happens, you can’t support yourself to have a productive life.

A medical condition isn’t something you wanted, but denying it can only make things worse. To move on, accepting your medical diagnosis is important to be able to manage it.  This can be extremely challenging for anyone. Though, you need not embark on this new experience alone. A counselor can journey through this difficulty with you.

Surviving the Roller Coaster of Emotions

A diagnosis of a chronic condition can be very distressing. It is a medical issue that can persist for a very long time, if not for life. It will put you on a long-term treatment, that’s costly, life-altering, and that comes with many side effects. There will be symptoms to watch out for and monitor. There will be medications to be taken every day and regular lab tests to go through. There will be a restrictive diet that will take all the flavors out of your food – it might often feel like you have no pleasure left – if food means a lot to you.

If you have a family member who suffered from the same condition, the thought of their misery before succumbing to the condition could scare and depress you. The diagnosis could open a floodgate of feelings you have never experienced before – confusion, fear, sadness, frustration, guilt, anger, and more. – This image of a suffering loved one may weigh heavily on your mind.

These emotions may calm down in time, but the serenity you need may not come as soon as you wish it would.  When acceptance seems to be taking a long time, proactively seek out counseling to help you survive your raging emotions.

“A stitch in time saves nine.”

While emotions can naturally ease with the passage of time, being emotional overwhelmed may also incapacitate your abilities to adjust quickly to the change.  This can drag your inability to accept your health issue, delaying your treatment and the opportunity to arrest the progression of your medical condition You can’t afford to wait to feel good to start your treatment.  In this case, you need to “fast track” your emotional recovery from grief and anguish; the sooner, the better.

Counseling could be a strategic approach to save your health, not only your physical vigor, but your emotional wellbeing.  According to the American Psychological Association, Distress is common following a chronic disease diagnosis.”  It’s not difficult to see that there is a relationship between depression and having a chronic medical condition.  Having a medical condition can be very restrictive; limiting your mobility and activities.  It can impact your sense of independence and self-esteem.

Though predisposed people have a higher risk for depression after they learn they have a chronic illness, even those with fewer stresses can also be shaken by a serious diagnosis of an ailments. This underscores the value of counseling after a diagnosis of a chronic or life-threatening condition.

Counseling: Making Positive Changes

At the height of your emotions, you may not realize that life can still get better despite declining health or a changed life. While your health has deteriorated, it isn’t the end of the world. Pessimism can only make matters worse. Making positive changes in your life to manage your symptoms is the most important thing to consider.  This can start with a positive perception of a new purpose for your life.

Welcoming your new purpose and life may not be easy; this is a challenge that counseling can help you accept and lived with. With counseling, you can change your view of life. You can see that your medical condition is just another opportunity to reassess your life – where you are going, how you are leading it, and what can be done to give it a new meaning.

It could be a way to improve your life, as you veer further from your original purpose. With counseling, you can learn to accept your condition and your current lifestyle, and embrace and enjoy vigorous physical and emotional health.  With counseling, the reward is peace of mind and so much more.

Empowering Yourself to be Better

Facing a chronic health issue, positively, begins with empowerment.  Understanding your condition is a good step, but only if you can find the courage in facing your health concern squarely.  If you are being overpowered by denial, anger, frustration, desperation, distress, fear, or other trials, the first step is to contact Carolina Counseling Services – Cameron, NC – on Hwy 87, near Linden Oaks.

To enjoy the support of your loving family after the diagnosis of a chronic medical condition, seek family therapy. It can help.

It is natural to be overwhelmed by the multitude of emotions as they seem to come rushing at you.  You must not, however, let these feelings engulf you.  Though you can’t change certain aspects of your physical health, you do still have the option to choose how you live your life. With an independent counselor contracted with Carolina Counseling Services – Cameron, NC, you can choose to be happy, hopeful, and manage your symptoms; throughout your struggle.  Call, text, or email CCS–Cameron today!

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