Managing Long Term Physical Health Conditions
A diagnosis of a long-term physical health condition can feel really difficult to accept and manage. It can bring about possible changes to your life that you didn’t expect. Physical health conditions can include things like IBS, Endometriosis, Chronic Pain, COPD, Diabetes and heart problems. Being diagnosed with a long-term health condition can affect mood, anxiety levels and the way we think and behave.
Take Mike for example…
Mike was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in his 50’s. The diagnosis came as a shock to him, he didn’t know anything about the condition or how to manage it. He started to feel really low following the diagnosis and believed that his life was a downhill road from here. Mike’s low mood led to a lack of motivation to engage in the healthy lifestyle that his nurse had recommended. He also engaged in comfort eating and lacked motivation to check his blood sugars regularly. Mike’s unhelpful behaviour was leading to mismanagement of his diabetes and so together were creating a negative vicious cycle.
We may get ourselves into negative cycles like this one when we have a physical health condition. For example, someone who has been diagnosed with IBS may worry that they will have an accident when they are out if they are not near a bathroom. This worry feeds feelings of anxiety which can worsen symptoms of IBS, leading to avoidance of engaging in activities that they enjoy. Similarly, someone with chronic pain may believe that ‘resting’ is the only way to feel better and so they do less and less, making them feel lower in mood, and perhaps even increasing pain in the long term.
There are many ways that people respond and react to a physical health condition. CBT can support in understanding the links between physical health and the way that we think, feel and behave. It can support clients to manage their feelings of low mood and anxiety differently, which in turn will support in reduction of physical health symptoms and the positive management of their condition.
Let’s go back to Mike…
Mike’s nurse gave him some useful education around the management of Diabetes which allowed him some hope that there was a way to manage this moving forward. The nurse also recommended that he see a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, which he did. Through CBT, Mike was able to break the links in his vicious cycle of low mood by starting to challenge his negative thinking. This allowed him space to feel motivated to do more exercise, spend more time outdoors and to check his blood sugars regularly.
If you are struggling with a physical health condition and associated low mood or anxiety, here are some top tips to consider:
Keep a diary of your daily activities and rate how this affects your mood (0-10) and your long-term condition symptoms (e.g. pain – 0-10). This will help you to start to establish a pattern of what is helpful and what is not.
Rather than doing lots on the days that you feel good and less on the days that you don’t, try pacing yourself. Actively do slightly less on the days when you feel good as this will preserve energy for the days when you don’t, meaning you will get a better overall balance.
Take regular ‘stretch breaks’ even when you feel you don’t need one!
Increase your exercise gradually, at a paced level. A trained PT and/or therapist can help you to establish appropriate levels of exercise.
Be outside in nature as frequently as possible, even if only to sit and listen to the birds. If you are unable to get outdoors, try tending to indoor plants instead.
Engage in social interaction, whether in person, by phone or message.
If you have tried these top tips and would like some additional input, please contact us for further information on one-to-one Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.