Coping with Grief when you have a Chronic Illness

When you are diagnosed with a chronic illness, there are several feelings that often come up. You may feel angry that this is happening to you, and you may feel depressed at what your future holds. For many people, grief is a huge issue when they are dealing with a chronic illness. They often feel grief for the person that they once were, they feel saddened at how their life is being cut short or is not as full as it once was, and the like. How can you deal with this grief? Here are a few tips:

1. Remember it is okay to feel saddened about this change of events. You may have to drastically change your life, and it is okay to mourn what you have lost.
    
2. Don’t cut yourself off from everyone. This is what happens to most people and then they have nowhere to turn. So be sure to answers those texts and phone calls you receive.
    
3. Try to find a support group of those who are dealing with the same chronic illness. You will find that this is a great way to see how to deal with the grief that you may be feeling.
    
4. If you are worried about your future, consider making plans that will help you deal later. For example, if you fear that this illness will result in an earlier death and you are not sure how your family will deal, then consider pre-planning your funeral to take one more worry off of their shoulders.

At Tindall Funeral Home we are ready to help you cope with your chronic illness, as the grief that is felt is often similar to those that come into plan a funeral for a loved one. Whether you need to pre-plan your funeral, is just one aspect that we can discuss with you.