If you’ve experienced a serious injury, you’ll know that it can affect your entire life. Perhaps you had an accident that affected your mobility, bodily functions, cognitive ability, your sight, or speech. You may be using a wheelchair or other assistive device to help you live your life. Maybe you have to undergo regular physiotherapy and medical treatments to alleviate pain and maintain your health.
Whatever has happened to you, such an accident can be hard to deal with. The initial emotions that come after a life-changing injury are often intense, ranging from anger and frustration to denial and grief. Yet there are countless people who have gone through similar adversity and come out on the either side stronger and more motivated than ever. It’s important to realise that this is not the end of your life, and there are still opportunities to be happy, meet your goals, and make beautiful memories with your loved ones.
If you are feeling low and wondering how to move on, here are some tips for coping with a life changing injury.
Feel your emotions
When you have gone through such a traumatic experience, people often don’t know how to react. You may want to appear strong for the sake of your family, but there are emotions inside you that will want to come out. It’s healthy to feel your emotions and process your thoughts rather than burying them. This will help you to come to terms with your accident and enable you to move on quicker. So cry, tell people how you feel, and write about your emotions. Articulating how you feel will allow you to see the bigger picture and avoid being swallowed up by grief.
Seek counselling
Speaking to a counsellor or therapist is a fantastic way to process complicated emotions and deal with life-changing trauma. It will help your mental health and reduce your risk of falling into depression and suicidal thoughts. Seek out a counselling service that specialises in trauma, or consider attending a support group for people in a similar situation. If you are not ready to speak with strangers about your situation, even talking to a close friend or relative can work wonders. It’s important to be open about how you are feeling and not bottle up your emotions inside you.
Find coping strategies
Initially it will be very difficult to cope with your new situation. You may need assistive technology and devices to help you carry out everyday tasks. Or you might require medication to deal with chronic pain. You will need to find the best methods to enable you to live your life, and over time this will become the norm. It is a good idea to speak with other people in your situation or seek advice online to give you ideas for managing your circumstances effectively.
Focus on the positives
A very traumatic thing has happened to you, and if you’re not careful this can become the centerpoint of your entire life. But there are still positive things in your life, and it’s best that you focus on these rather than the negatives. For example, you no doubt have friends and family around you who love you and care for you. If you were ever guilty of not spending enough time with your loved ones, now is the time to change that. Use this opportunity to make beautiful memories with the people and around you and realise that your relationships are the most important things in your life. You can also find plenty of other sources of joy in your life, whether that be books, travel, music, sport, or your career.
Come to terms with your trauma
For people who have undergone serious trauma, it can stay with them for the rest of their lives. It may always be a painful memory and a source of negative emotion for you, but there are ways you can come to terms with your accident and feel a little better about it. If your injury was caused by another person, it might help to know that justice has been achieved. By consulting with a personal injury lawyer, you can receive compensation for your losses and ensure the perpetrator, if to blame, is rightfully sentenced or punished.
Be patient
Finally, remember that coming to terms with a life-changing injury won’t happen overnight. It will take some time to arrive in a happy place after such a trauma. So be patient and take each day as it comes. Before long, you will be able to live with what has happened and move on.