It is often said that a serious illness affects those around the patient just as much, although in an entirely different way, as the individual themselves, and navigating your family life should you find yourself in this position can be more than a little daunting.
So, whether you are a younger parent with small children, an older retiree with a large and loving family, or else an independent ‘lone wolf’ with a huge group of friends, if you have been diagnosed with an illness, then this is the article for you.
Be Prepared For A Change in Roles
Especially in the case of people who are a parent of young children or, indeed, older children whom you have remained incredibly close to, these usual roles and relationships may well temporarily change.
Even in certain friendships, if you are used to being the protective caregiver, you may well find it hard to adjust to being looked after. Although your feelings, needs, and desires absolutely take precedence during treatment and recovery, it is still important to remember everything they do, they are doing because they love you.
Furthermore, the responsibilities you have in terms of your personal life will also shift should you experience periods of tiredness and fatigue. For those who enjoy and relish always being in the leadership role and the one always in control, your partner needs to step up and temporarily lead.
Track Your Symptoms & Side-Effects
Depending on the nature of the diagnosed illness and the individual’s health and fitness, as well as the immune system, different symptoms will appear, both before the diagnosis has been confirmed and after treatment begins.
This is why, when facing more serious illnesses such as leukemia and other forms of cancer, opting to register with the established and renowned cancer treatment center, moffitt.org, will mean you will be provided with the tools to be able to communicate with your partner, your children, and other loved ones your feelings.
Tracking your emotions, as well as the more practical side-effects of the drugs, will keep your mind focused on the journey and, ultimately, help you navigate to the other side.
Allow People to Help You Through
Whether the particular illness you have been diagnosed with is one that is something you are going to have to adjust your life to accommodate moving forward, or else it is a more serious disease that requires you to take time out from your professional role to seek treatment, accepting help from loved ones is essential.
Little tricks to help you readjust your thinking to allow people to help you through this particularly challenging period of your life include:
- Being specific about what it is you need, and what it is you want
- Accept help in the form of both ongoing, regular tasks and one-off assistance
- Preparing a list of everything that needs to be taken care of while you are out of action
Stay in Touch With Your Social Circle
You will have no doubt heard before how the people around you become a support system and may have even experienced this before.
With illnesses such as cancer and other diseases whose treatment takes an extraordinary toll, the last thing you will probably want to do is to socialize and attend parties and holiday get-togethers.
While attending physically may be out of the question, utilizing social media sites for the original purpose they were created for can be a great way of updating the people who matter most to you without having to expend already lacking energy in having them come by to visit.
