A disability is no simple thing to deal with, as it does affect anyone in a multitude of different ways. Losing some ability, or the complete ability, to do something with your body does pose a lot of problems and questions to resolve. Living with disability, as you may have noticed from others, is not an easy thing to do – so what are key ways to help cope mentally after you’ve become disabled?
The below tips aren’t exact rules to follow in order to achieve mental readiness when you gain a disability. As such, it’s important to have yourself checked by a psychiatrist and a therapist in order to gain adequate support systems that could greatly improve the odds of your understanding of the issues you’re currently faced with. Becoming disabled isn’t the end of the world, and there are surely ways for you to be able to adjust accordingly.
Understanding Helps
 According to The Ranch, one of perhaps the most important things to do to cope mentally after you’ve become disabled is perhaps one of the hardest steps as well: it’s to remember to understand the nature of the disability. Sometimes, the disability will come off as a surprise for you, and sometimes the reaction you will feel will be akin to distraught, anxiety, and depression.
- These reactions are normal, especially when you’re finding it difficult to come to terms with your disability. One of the methods that could help is by making sure you understand what the disability is and how it will affect you.
- This is important, as your rehabilitation and therapy also involves helping you grow accustomed to your new condition. If you understand your condition as soon as rehabilitation starts, you’ll be able to better understand why the therapy works the way it should.
- Try to consult your doctor or therapist and try to have them explain the disability to you. If you’re confused about something, don’t ever hesitate to inquire or to ask. This is your condition, which means if there’s any chance you’d get confused or get things mixed up, it’s better to have these things cleared up.
- Conduct your own readings and research about your new condition. Sometimes it helps if you, yourself, start researching about your disability in order for you to understand how it works from your own perspective.
- Aside from research, even if you don’t have a long term disability, do inquire about long term disability insurance. This is an important thing to consider, especially if your work is something that involves heavy labor, or if some aspect of your daily life can expose you to dangerous elements that may lead to accidents (such as if you’re near a construction zone, etc.). You may learn more about this here.
Follow the Treatment
The next step is to make sure you follow all treatment methods recommended to you. This means not overdoing therapy, and not missing out on medication you have to take. Remember, your body is still going through a lot of adjustments, which means you have to expect that recovery and getting used to your disability will not be as fast as, say, recovering from a typical injury like a sprain.
- Don’t try to rush the treatment in any way. Take your time, and take it slow. Remember to try to understand your injury from a practical perspective, and start on getting used to the feeling of your disability, as you might have to live with it for the rest of your life. This is not a bad thing.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for other treatment methods if you think the one you’re doing isn’t helping. If it’s the one the doctors said you should do, however, then please do follow their advice.
- If you want to try other methods, try to consult with your doctors and other professionals first in order to ensure you’re not further injuring yourself. If you feel as through the treatment you’re undertaking is making it feel worse, then consider speaking to a lawyer about the signs of medical malpractice.
Plan For The Future
Just because you’ve obtained a disability it doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t live your life the way you want to. There will be adjustments, and it will certainly have its challenges. However, don’t ever feel as through your disability will stop you from achieving your dreams. You can treat the treatment period as an adjustment phase, however, as it’s the perfect time for you to rethink your plans.
- Try to assess as to whether or not you’ll continue the same path with your everyday life. This varies depending on your personal circumstance. If you’re a student, will this disability affect your schooling? If you’re working, will the disability affect your performance? It’s important to sit down with yourself or a psychologist, or perhaps a relative or a friend, to talk about the hard facts.
- Afterwards, decide if whether or not the path you’re taking now is something you can pursue, or if you would benefit from changing to a different path. If so, try to assess why, and what it has that can be of use to your present condition. Afterwards, try to explore the various circumstances regarding this new life path, so you can properly prepare for it. This can be a new passion, a new job, or a new place to live, among other things that you may want to change or modify.
Conclusion
When you become disabled, it’s natural to have feelings of sadness and anxiety when it comes to how it can affect the rest of your life. Key ways to help you cope mentally after you’ve become disabled are important notes to constantly remind yourself of should you find yourself in this situation. Remember, therapy and recovery takes time, and a proper mindset can greatly aid you in finding a new direction given your new condition.
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Andrew Nickleson – Andrew is a passionate writer, writing about disabilities and the law. He has written about many subjects aimed to help those who have questions unanswered. In his spare time he enjoys working on volunteering for those less fortunate.