Coping with Chronic Physical Illness

The stressors of life are complex enough for people without chronic diseases.  Having a chronic health issue can make coping with ordinary stressors even more difficult.  The added impact of remembering medical regimens, feeling constrained by physical limitations, and feeling alone in coping with your illness can become overwhelming.  If you find that your ability to cope with the stresses or daily life, or with previously exisiting mental health difficulties, is impacted by chronic disease, please reach out for a consultation.  I understand the complex interplay between physical and mental well-being and am ready to help you find solutions to the challenges you face.

Regardless of what newly diagnosed physical illness you may have, many people report feelings of shock, overwhelm, guilt, and isolation when they learn that they have an illness.  This can be especially true for diseases that have stigma attached to them by our society (such as HIV for gay men, lung cancer for smokers, etc.) and for diseases that may require you to rechart your expectations for the course of your life.  Additionally, the striking impact of facing one's mortality that often accompanies the discovery of a newly diagnosed physical illness, can be life-changing.  In some ways, such a confrontation with mortality can be horrifying and scary.  In other ways, after working through the initial shock and pain, a healthy acceptance of one's mortality can lead to living life in a manner that brings greater joy and happiness, as one learns that each moment is worth appreciating and little can be taken for granted.  Regardless of where you are in relating to your physical illness, I am ready to help you understand how to relate to your needs in the most fulfilling ways possible and form the type of life you need to remain happy, content, whole, and alive.