Contents:
- Medical Video: Emotions & Chronic Pain
- 1. Sensitive and supportive
- 2. Find out more about the disease
- 3. Receive when the couple cancels the appointment
- 4. Stay positive
- 5. Offer your help
- 6. Listen to your partner
- 7. Don't be too dramatic
- 8. Don't forget to take care of yourself
- Some things to remember
Medical Video: Emotions & Chronic Pain
About 60 million people worldwide suffer from chronic pain. Your partner or someone you love may be one of them. If you do not have the disease, it is sometimes difficult to empathize with your partner. This can cause pressure on the relationship. Here are some ways to help care for your partner.
1. Sensitive and supportive
Stress, conflict, and criticism can make your partner's pain worse. It is important to be sensitive to your partner's pain. Try to avoid conflict. You may be upset because the house is not cleaned or the laundry is not washed, but these are small things. Try to imagine how difficult it is to do daily activities when you are constantly sick. Also very helpful to be a good listener. Your partner needs to know that they can talk and share their feelings with you.
2. Find out more about the disease
It will be more helpful if you do more research about the causes of your partner's illness. Talk to your doctor about sources and references about chronic diseases. Understanding conditions is a big motivation to learn more about your partner's treatment. You can build communication with your doctor to find better ways to care for your partner.
3. Receive when the couple cancels the appointment
Chronic pain cannot be predicted. Your partner might say "yes" to an appointment or activity when they feel healthy. However, when the pain becomes unbearable, your partner may cancel the plan at the last minute. Prepare yourself if this happens from time to time. Your partner doesn't do it intentionally. They want to be able to have a normal life and spend time with you, but pain can arise at any time. Don't push them or make them feel guilty about canceling a date. This will only make the problem increase and aggravate the pain.
4. Stay positive
It's important to always stay positive. Don't feel sorry for yourself because it will only cause stress on your relationship. Don't think about how chronic diseases damage your life and relationship. Instead, you must focus on what you have to do to maintain relationships. You will feel much better and actively begin to improve your relationship. You will also see that positive energy is very effective. Your partner will smile more and feel happier. This positive energy can reduce pain.
5. Offer your help
Of course, your partner does not expect you to do everything for them. Chronic pain sufferers also want to feel normal and control activities in their daily lives. Not that you don't need to offer help. They will appreciate if you can help with housework or shopping.
6. Listen to your partner
It's natural to feel like you have to be a problem solver. Usually this is not what your partner needs. They want you to be a good listener rather than a problem solver. A person with chronic pain is often misunderstood or isolated, causing frustration and anger. What they need is someone to talk to and understand their daily struggles. You don't need to have an answer or treatment for every pain they feel, but just talking about it can help your partner feel much better.
7. Don't be too dramatic
It's true that chronic pain is a serious condition, but you don't need to overdo it. Research shows that patients with partners or family members are over-protective experiencing pain more often or even worse. This will also take longer to treat the disease. You must understand that chronic is indeed a serious but not life-threatening condition. They are not helpless. You must try to understand the balance between what they can and cannot do. Find ways to help couples manage their own pain.
8. Don't forget to take care of yourself
You need to take care of yourself to help your partner. You might need to talk to your boss so you can make your work schedule more flexible. This will give you more time to take your partner to the doctor and reduce stress at work.
Some things to remember
Here are some things to keep in mind if your partner has a chronic illness:
- Accepting that caring for your partner will be difficult. How you overcome these difficulties can make a different experience.
- Don't forget friends and family. Plan activities to keep in touch and notify your partner's progress
- Ask for their help when you feel you can't handle it. Caring for someone needs teamwork from you, your family, friends, and the medical team.
- Be thankful for the help you get. Don't lose hope even if things get worse.
- Talk about these conditions. Join communities, raise awareness, and help those who have the same conditions or situations.
- Take good care of your own health.
When you feel you cannot take care of your partner alone, look for support from friends and family. You are not alone. Talk to your doctor for referrals to support groups and other local resources. It's important to stay positive.
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- Helping Your Child Overcome Pain
- Exercise to Help Relieve Chronic Pain
- Helping Couples Overcome Back Pain
