Therapy for Health, Aging & Illness

Receiving the news that you have a new health condition to manage, or trying to cope with life adjustments following a health change or emergency can be an emotionally taxing experience. Are you dealing with a new diagnosis or illness and struggling to cope? Are you the loved one or caregiver of somebody with an illness and having difficulty managing your stress? Facing health, aging or illness issues is tough. At Rebound, we’re here to support you.

What’s going on?

Following a major health event, or after receiving a life changing diagnosis, there is often an immense amount of grief and anxiety that is typically associated with such news. What is normal and familiar has changed, and it is a normal human reaction to have worry and fear about the unfamiliarity of what lies ahead. Perhaps you are managing a chronic illness or caring for a sick loved one and you miss the feeling of a ‘normal life.’ Maybe you’re struggling to remember what it feels like to be you. These are normal emotional and mental reactions to a life altering scenario.

Effectively Facing Life transitions & Stress

In order to successfully navigate life transitions and stress, individuals need to establish healthy levels of adaptability. Clients with higher levels of adaptability can adjust quicker and more effectively. But how do we establish adaptability? Establishing adaptability begins with creating psychological flexibility, where clients can learn to create boundaries, needs and limits, while balancing these lines with more flexible thinking  - where can we bend safely while protecting ourselves and our true core values and beliefs? Together, you and your therapist will explore ways to bolster your own support system and develop effective methods for facing stress and life transitions now and in the future.

What can happen when you’re experience health, aging and illness related issues?

Symptoms of health, aging and illness related issues can range in variety and severity. While we assume that many health and aging related problems are inevitable, in several cases, these events and issues cause symptoms that may need more consideration. Here’s a list of some of the difficulties that you may be experience if you’re trying to navigate a health, aging or illness related issue:

1.     Anxiety or excessive worry
2.     Tearfulness
3.     Irritability
4. Hopelessness

5.     Rapid Heart Rate
6.     Moodiness, irritability or anger
7.     Feeling overwhelmed

What are health, aging or illness issues? 

Clearly there are thousands of health related diagnoses that can cause aversive symptoms and emotional struggles for those experiencing them. But what we don’t always consider, is the other related events that can impact our mental health. Some of these experiences that can impact our mental health are:

1.     Receiving a new medical health diagnosis
2.     Experiencing physical symptoms with an undetermined diagnosis
3.     Caring for a loved one with dementia

4.    Recovering from a health emergency (i.e., stroke, heart attack)
5.    Managing chronic illness or pain
6.     Being a helper or support system for a loved one with illness

Therapy support for health, aging and illness related struggles

When working with health, aging and illness related struggles, we work to target the cognitive symptoms and emotions that you are experiencing as a result. Depending on your circumstances, we might focus on processing grief, stress or anxieties. Using evidence-based therapies we’ll work to manage symptoms of anxiety or depression and focus on building up your protective factors such as your support network and coping skills. We’ll work to foster a person-centered environment to explore and address your unmet needs. Many times, health, aging and illness can cause trauma responses, which we’ll work to process together to reduce potential lingering mental health struggles. When ready, we’ll work together to find meaning in your experiences and create a life that’s in line with your values and who you want to be as a person, despite these changes!

What are some strategies to help me navigate through health, illness or aging struggles?

Supporting the Support Person

While the focus is often on the person who is navigating a health diagnosis or illness, it’s easy to forget about the person doing the supporting! One of the best ways to support, is by supporting the support person.

Bring them a meal
Do errands for them
Offer them a selfcare or ‘rest day’ to rejuvenate
Clean for them
Offer them a safe space to vent or talk out their struggles
Be a friend

Meaning Making

When one aspect of our life is not going smoothly (our health for example), it’s important to bolster the other pillars of our life and find value and meaning where it may exist. This may be a time to….

-        Draw closer to friends or family members

-        Revisit old habits or hobbies you once enjoyed

-        Relive positive memories or share stories

-        Try something new!

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