How To Cope with a Chronic Condition Living with a chronic condition can be difficult to accept. Recognizing how your diagnosis and condition makes you feel is a key part of developing healthy coping techniques. Check out these different ways to improve your relationship with your condition! Problem Solving Steps Recognize the Problem Exploring the Problem Identifying the Solutions Creating a Plan Implementing the Plan Evaluating How Your Plan Worked Recognizing the Problem Notice how your chronic condition makes you feel. Are you frustrated, overwhelmed, ashamed or sad? Is your goal intended to monitor, improve or predict an outcome? Exploring the Problem Dig deeper into why you are experiencing these feelings around your condition. What about your condition seems the hardest to manage? How confident do you feel in managing your condition? Do you feel the support you need from loved ones? HWhat is within your control? Identifying Solutions and Creating a Plan Improving your coping skills includes building action steps toward better management. Write down what you already know works best for you. Make a list of strategies you are interested in trying for management. Identify who your support group is. Plan for poor management days. Creating a Plan Try using these questions to help you build your plan: When do you plan on starting/using your new solutions? How do you feel when you have good management days? What did you do those days? How can you implement those strategies into your daily routine to support your ideal management? What strategies have you not yet tried that you’d like to experiment with? When do you plan to try each strategy? What does success mean to you? Who can help you remain accountable and check on you? What would increase your mood and confidence on poor management days? What techniques will you use? Implementing the Plan Keep track of how each of your solutions affects your management. Journal or log your progress. Notice what does and doesn’t work. Write down how your solutions make you feel and reflect on their impact. Share your experiences with loved ones. Evaluating How Your Plan Worked Look back at everything you did to help manage your condition. What strategies worked best? What strategies didn’t work for you? Are you more confident in your management? What changes can you make to your plan for future success? Healthy Coping Techniques Pay attention to and acknowledge your feelings as you feel them. Incorporate things you enjoy that reduce stress into your day and week. Use hopeful and positive statements when talking to and about yourself. Talk with friends and family. Talk with your provider or health care team to stay prepared. If you don’t know where to start, try some of these activities: Journaling Exercise Listening to or making music Creating art Reading Yoga Spending time with friends Taking a walk in nature Additional Resources American Psychological Association – “Coping with a Diagnosis of Chronic Illness” Cleveland Clinic – “Chronic illness” Mayo Clinic – “8 Tips for Coping with a Serious Diagnosis”
