Receiving news of a new diagnosis can be challenging. On top of learning to manage a new disease, you may experience feelings of shock and confusion. Questions like “How did this happen?” or “What did I do wrong?” are common. This article will help you navigate these feelings. The aim is to normalize this emotional reaction and lay out a plan of action to help address it.
Step 1: Breathe
You CAN manage your new condition. Millions of Americans live with multiple chronic disease, but you’d never know it just by looking. Let’s look at the numbers:
- there are around 1.4 million new cases of Diabetes each year
- Nearly 1/2 of Americans live with Hypertension
- Around 21 million American adults experienced a Major Depressive Episode at some time in their life
Why am I telling you this? To show the staggering number of people who live with some condition. You are not alone! These issues are common, and there is an extensive network of help and resources available, like your iHealth team. So, take a step back, and breathe!
“You feel what you feel, and those feelings are real”
-Sven to Kristoff, Frozen 2
Frozen may be a children’s movie, but it still offers some sage wisdom useful to all ages. Feelings are meant to be experienced, not pushed away. Why does it matter? What is the big deal with ignoring those pesky emotions? Whether we realize it or not, those emotions take a toll on our physical and mental health. See the graphic below to see what I mean.
It is the classic “chicken or the egg” scenario. Certain chronic conditions, like Diabetes, may affect your behavior in ways that increase your risk for a mental health condition, like Depression. The reverse is also true: people with a pre-existing mental health condition may have difficulty adopting healthy coping strategies. This in turn exacerbates their new chronic condition.
Remember Step 1: breathe. Now that we know that our mental health and physical health are linked, let’s dig into Step 2. Naming your emotions
Step 2: Name Those Emotions!!
Most experts believe that there are 6 basic emotions: sadness, happiness, fear, anger, surprise, disgust. These 6 can be broken down further, but let’s start at the base. Try to sit with your feelings and put them in one of these 6 emotion boxes. It can be hard to articulate feelings into words, but even acknowledging that the feeling exists can help make it a little smaller, less daunting. The point here is to bring our feelings into the light, out of the shadows where they can grow in the dark.
If you want to dig deeper into these base emotions, check out the Wheel of Emotions ( https://www.phoenixperform.com/single-post/a-wheel-of-human-emotions)
You may also have physical reactions. Another helpful tactic is to try and notice when these physical reactions arise, and consider what you were thinking about. What thought, fear, or emotion led to the racing heart? The reason is the same as before: to bring big unknown reactions into the light and understand them, in hopes they can become a little smaller and more manageable.
Just Tough it Out?
Some studies show that people are at a higher risk of developing a chronic condition after a mental health diagnosis and may also experience higher mortality rates.
- It might be tempting to think, “once I get this disease under control, these feelings will pass”, but our emotional reactions to stressful situations give us insight to our overall mental health. Don’t ignore your feelings!
Step 3: Get Help
The final step is to seek help. You’ve already done a great job with steps 1 and 2, but if you feel like you need more help here are some options.
- Talk to your Provider: Most mental health conditions can be addressed by you primary care provider, call them today!
- Find a community: does a friend or family member have the same condition?
- Make small achievable, specific goals: goal setting works best when it is not vague
- Practice self-compassion: the smallest changes can have a huge impact
Resources Online and In The Community
- For help finding a Mental Health provider, try SAMHSA (the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
- Support groups
- For Diabetes support groups, try the Defeat Diabetes Foundation
- For Mental Health support groups, try Mental Health America
- For your specific condition, try searching for resources posted by national organizations like the ADA (American Diabetes Association) or NIH (National Institutes of Health)
- Ask your provider about local support group or ones offered though local hospital systems
The body is an ecosystem. What effects one part is felt by the whole. Staying in touch with our bodies is key to our overall health. Connecting a hurt limb to a fall the day before is simple enough, but connecting a “hurt” brain to certain stressors can be difficult. A mental “hurt” can often be subtle, but these hurts demand attention just like a hurt limb. I always encourage people to talk to their Provider, but addressing the “hurt” can be as simple as acknowledging it is there and giving it a name.