Throughout life, each of us will be faced with challenges associated with caring and coping. You could lose your job in the future, you may learn that a good friend has cancer, or you may need to move an ageing parent into your home so you can help care for him or her. These are just a couple of scenarios that require the abilities to care and cope, and thankfully, there are ways to help deal with difficult moments in life. Here are five tips.
1. Ask for help. Whether you are sick and too tired to clean your home or you are feeling overwhelmed with medical bills, ask for help when you feel like you cannot handle things on your own.
2. Don’t forget to laugh. As much as it may seem impossible to laugh when you’re in the middle of a crisis, it’s important that you allow yourself moments to live in laughter, be it through a book, movie, or comedy club. As crazy and sick as it may seem, laughter sometimes IS the best medicine.
3. Educate yourself. If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with an illness, you will be able to care and cope better if you have all the facts.
4. Seek something to look forward to in order to break away from whatever stress you may be experiencing. If you are caring for a loved one, ask a friend to come over and sit with your loved one while you take a relaxing bubble bath. Or if you are coping internally with personal issues, plan a dinner out with a friend. Sometimes, stepping away from our problems and then coming back gives us renewed energy and different perspectives.
5. Talk. Whether you need to inform family members about a health situation or you are dealing with a rebellious teenager, it’s important that the people involved in whatever situation you’re dealing with can feel comfortable talking about anything without being judged.
Whatever difficult caring and coping situations you might be faced with, just remember that you do not have to handle everything alone.