Without a doubt, living with a chronic disease can be stressful. Available data suggests that a little over 27% of the US population deals with more than one chronic condition. There is so much to think about and lifestyle modifications to make to live well even with such issues. Sometimes, it is natural to feel overwhelmed by the changes altering your quality of life. However, you can adopt proactive measures to cope with a chronic condition.
- Manage your medications
Some chronic conditions require you to take at least two medications at specific times of the day. If there’s more, the likelihood of forgetting to take them is high. Unfortunately, if you allow this to continue, you may exacerbate the chronic condition. For example, a person with diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiac issues, often takes at least five different medications in a day. A deviation from the dosage can aggravate any or all of these chronic conditions. Thankfully, there are licensed companies that provide medication management services. You may want to sign up or subscribe to a reliable one to help you manage your medications.
- Conscious lifestyle change
Every chronic health condition requires that the individual in question makes adjustments to their lifestyle. Specific actions and inactions can worsen an already bad chronic condition. Admittedly, it might be difficult to adjust to a drastic lifestyle change in the initial stages after a diagnosis. However, you can do it with self-awareness and proper information on the health condition.
There isn’t medical proof that a conscious lifestyle change can treat chronic diseases. However, years of research have shown that it helps effectively manage them. People who make deliberate changes to their lifestyle will usually have increased energy, feel better and respond better to medications. For instance, people with diabetes can maintain their blood sugar at healthy levels when they adopt health-conscious lifestyle choices.
- Beware of chronic illness-induced depression
A medical report by BMC Psychiatry indicated that depression among persons living with chronic diseases is real. And the percentages range from 9.8 – 25% in both genders. This means that one out of three persons living with a chronic illness is bound to sink into depression. The report also indicated that women with chronic illness are quicker to experience depressive episodes than men.
According to BMC Psychiatry, it is also more difficult to resolve depressive symptoms in women than in men. Another factor to be mindful of is that depression can cause you to quit your medications. Undoubtedly, the risks are high, which explains why it’s important to be aware of this. Experts recommend regularly keeping in touch with your primary care physicians. They can quickly pick on the early signs of depression and take proactive steps to resolve them.
Indeed, chronic conditions can be managed, but it requires that you play a significant and conscious role in achieving the desired outcome. It is also helpful to have a support system and educate yourself more on your condition.
Thank you for reading!
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