When you are diagnosed with an illness…

One of life’s toughest challenges is when you are told by your doctor that you have an illness you never thought you would have. It is a moment of shock and sometimes even denial - you feel as if something inside you has died. You might even feel depressed; the moment of shock lasts for a few days until you get used to being a person affected by that illness.

When suffering from an illness, it is always easy to fall into depression and stay there. The news of the illness usually shatters your dreams of tomorrow - you realize that you have to be careful, make lifestyle changes and ensure that you stick to a healthy diet and include exercise. Most illnesses respond favourably to lifestyle changes. It is not easy to give up a sedentary lifestyle if you have been used to it, in favour of a more active one.

A good point to start is to Google everything you can find out about your illness. Of course, this should take place once your doctor has prescribed the right medicines for you - the Internet is a wonderful source of information and can update you on the latest, cutting edge research on any illness but it should not be used for diagnostic purposes.

Once you have the information at your fingertips, it helps to read about people who have had the illness but who have either overcome it or learnt to live with it - while still being active and leading empowered lives.

There are so many people who have overcome illnesses such as cancer and who have learnt to live with illnesses such as diabetes and high blood pressure while still doing the things they like to do. I remember reading up on one individual who stated on his blog that having diabetes actually enabled him to appreciate his family and connect more often with them than he did before. It all depends on how you approach the subject of illness.

Brave individuals

Some of us here in Sri Lanka have such a pessimistic attitude that learning about an illness virtually becomes a death sentence we pronounce on ourselves. Once a diagnosis is made, we become inactive and force ourselves to stay sick. This is not the attitude that is best - we see all the time that there are courageous and brave individuals all over the world who actually use the illness they have as a stepping stone towards leading better lives.

Learning about the illness you have also enables you to develop a sound mindset in dealing with it. Our mind is a powerful instrument that has a strong say in what goes on in our bodies. We can and must develop a positive mindset that can overcome merely being sick and always stay one step ahead of our illness. A cheerful disposition can be cultivated and can be a learning experience for others who may also suffer from illnesses.

The easiest thing is to moan about the illness but that usually does not do anything for us or for the illness we have. In fact, it only makes things worse. If you focus on your symptoms, if you complain all the time and stay indoors, you can't change your attitude. Go out - get some sunshine. Talk to people - mingle with others. Do things for others - they say when you focus on others, you forget your own pains.

Painful process

Accepting your illness and coming to terms with it need not be a painful process. It can in fact be a moment that changes your life. You learn to value your family, your friends and the kind of life you lead. You also learn to be more forgiving towards others, remembering that they too have their problems. Life is a gift and each day must ideally be counted as if it is the last day - that teaches us to go out of our way to be nice.

In the hustle and bustle of life, we learn to quieten down when we are told of an illness we have. An illness may enable us to reevaluate our priorities and re-look at our values. On the whole, it can be a life changing experience that does not have to be negative all the time.

Let your illness be a moment of truth for you and for your family - don’t focus too much on it but once you are on treatment , find time for yourself and for your family and of course for the things you have always wanted to do. Life can be fragile and short but there are also lessons it teaches us along the way.