Your body and your mind are not two separate entities but two sides of the coin. Like electricity and magnetism, they are inseparable.
Whatever impacts one has a direct bearing on the other. So, whenever you are under excessive stress, your health will be affected and in the same manner, every disease will tell upon your psyche. That is why it is said that one thing that a patient does not have is patience.
Forewarned is forearmed. When you are in good health, prepare yourself mentally that if ever I fall ill, I will not fall into the quicksand of pessimism. Know that stress will strike you with a vengeance in those critical days. When it does, you will be better equipped to handle it rationally.
Ironically, most of your ire will be directed against your family members or care-givers. You will be so hyper-critical that you will be certain that they are ignoring you, if not downright ill-treating you. Pipe down. Most of your grouses may be there only because your illness has made you exceptionally sensitive.
Most of us do not breathe properly even when we are in good health. This problem gets aggravated when we are on sickbed. If health allows, make it a point to engage in deep breathing for at least 10 minutes every morning, afternoon and night. Preferably this should be done before breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fill your lungs completely, hold the breath for a few seconds and then exhale slowly.
Our food has tremendous bearing on our mood. Eat good and you will feel good. Junk food will put you in a sullen frame of mind. Be very particular about what goes past your lips. Bingeing is bad at any time; all the more so when you are bed-ridden.
Similarly, lack of physical activity plays havoc with one’s emotional well-being. Depending on how much movement your ailment allows, try to be as much active as possible. Suppose you have a leg fracture. Make sure that at least your arms and other body parts are exercised to the maximum extent.
Even otherwise, keep yourself occupied in some activity or the other. The more time you have to brood, the sadder you will become.
One thing you will find particularly helpful is meditation. Any form of mindfulness will be enough to help you get a grip on your haywire emotions and to view your situation in the right perspective. Even one night of pain proves so debilitating that one starts feeling that I am never going to recover. The sense of doom tends to become all consuming. Take heart. The worst-case scenario that you have drawn up may not be inevitable. Healthy food combined with proper breathing and meditation will help you adopt a less defeatist attitude.
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