There Is Hope For The Holidays

If you or a loved one has been affected by a catastrophic illness or the fight of combating a C.diff. infection, or any long-term illness, the holiday season might not feel like the “most wonderful time of the year.”

Instead of joy, one may be struggling with sadness, grief, or anxiety that you won’t be spending the holidays in your own old fashion ways. There may be worries about money, time, or energy to partake in the holidays. There are ways to help make the most of the holiday season.

Begin with setting realistic goals, starting new holiday traditions, and calling for help when you need it is the first step in helping one to cope. Below are several tips from mental health experts that we hope will be useful to anyone in distress while fighting any illness.

Set Realistic Goals: This may not be the best holiday but with a positive outlook, and the support of family and friends, one can still make the most of it. Adapting to setbacks after or during an illness can cause stress, anxiety, and sadness. Try to be realistic about gift-giving and affordability and what can be done around the holidays, and share your thoughts with friends and family. Being honest about feelings and the present circumstances can help you better cope and give everyone the chance to have a better understanding. Make time to have a conversation will be very beneficial.

Start New Traditions: If you are celebrating the holidays away from your own home or away from loved ones, start a new tradition to help yourself and your family adjust to the changes. Activities like singing holiday songs or reading books aloud can help you maintain a positive outlook. Trying something new can create positive results. The new traditions will help create something special.

Surround Yourself with Support: The holidays can be a difficult for adults and children. When an individual is feeling down, lacking energy, in pain, combating an infection of any kind – one tends to isolate themselves. Do the best to avoid too much alone time, and talk to someone about how you are feeling. You are not alone and there are local numbers available in all areas to call for confidential crisis counseling and emotional support.

CONTACT USA (CUSA) is a network of crisis intervention helpline centers across the nation providing help by telephone and online chat for those in need of help.

http://www.contact-usa.org/programs.html

Treat Yourself with Care: It is important to pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Doing so will help you cope with stress caused by the holidays. If you are a parent or caregiver, it is important for you to take care of your needs first. Then you will be better able to take care of those who depend on you.

Reach Out for Help: Recovery takes time after a loss and even an illness – it is common to feel a lot of different emotions – anger, sadness, anxiety, confusion, guilt, and bitterness.  You are not alone.

Take it one-day-at-a-time………. live life in the moment and take it one step at a time.