6 Ways to Overcome Distress Due to Ailing Loved One

• September 27, 2010
• Uniforms & Apparels
• Mecheil Lewis

When someone is suffering from any life-threatening disease, attentions from caring people are naturally directed to the sufferer. That is just normal as the patient is at high risk of getting depressed. Recent study of men having partners diagnosed with breast cancer or died of it, however, showed that risk of depression among men can be as high as their partners’ or even higher. This can be true to anyone who is left with all the responsibility of taking care of an ailing loved one.

The provider of comfort is often neglected and left emotionally and physically exhausted. Having less or no outlet for the heavy accumulating burden can take toll in time. But just as there are ways to prevent depression from striking an ill patient, there are also ways to keep the patient’s source of strength mentally and emotionally sound.

1. Keep realistic expectations. Understand the condition of the loved one thoroughly, weigh all the possibilities, and limit your expectations there. Talking straightforward to the doctor should help you see sound expectations.
2. Pour out your feelings with a friend. Being able to open up to someone you trust eases the burden significantly. Even the mere knowledge that there is always someone who would listen to your problems can greatly help to undo emotional exhaustion. This is especially important to individuals with family history of depression.
3. Exercise regularly. As vital parts of the body, the brain and heart benefits well from physical exercise, more particularly when too much worrying affects them. It can relax the tension you are feeling. You can exercise with a friend to have somebody to talk to about other things except your family’s situation, or alone to have some time to think things over. A peaceful place should to do the exercise should also help you feel better.
4. Pray for courage and patience. Spiritual strength is viewed by religious people as genuine source of positive things. When you know you can turn to someone who above all is loving, caring, and can provide the way out, you will feel more courage to face things and be patient about having to carry the burden until it’s lifted completely. Many people have felt the power of prayer, and this could be just what you needed.
5. See the positive side of things. Focusing on the negative things is like seeing a house that looks rotten and cannot be resided. But when you look around and see that the foundation is still capable of holding the entire edifice, the wisest thing to do is have it fixed. Life if more than a valuable house whose foundation is the heart, as long as it pumps air, you can do things to make life better.
6. Seek professional help. Be alert of any symptoms of depression, and seek for preventive psychological care when necessary. While friends can provide some strength, an expert and experienced psychiatrist, wearing lab coats over scrub tops and scrub pants, will approach the situation scientifically and be able to treat any psychological problem before it worsens. A psychological breakdown from your side is the least thing you and your family need on distressing situations.