Four Tips for Mentally Recovering From a Serious Physical Injury

After sustaining a severe physical injury, most individuals don't consider this type of accident's cognitive and emotional ramifications. Getting to a clinic and receiving prompt medical care is the immediate focus, followed by follow-up care and physical healing. But how does a severe injury impact your mental health?

Our experts on counseling in Orlando want you to remember that it isn't always easy if you're searching for assistance recovering from an injury. You might have PTSD symptoms, anxiety symptoms, or other problems that may arise. Unintentional injuries have a substantial long-term effect on the health of adults. Depression, tension, and post-traumatic stress disorder are expected post-injury, and recognizing and addressing depression after a significant injury is crucial in clinical care.

If you've recently experienced a major injury, you might find yourself forced to remain partially or wholly sedentary, limited to a slight range of rehab activities. Regardless of your pre-injury activity level, this can profoundly and negatively impact your mental well-being. So what can you do to regain not just your physical fitness but your mental health as well?

Remain Positive

Instead of thinking about what you used to be capable of doing that you can't do now, stay focused on things you can do and things you can control. Re-evaluate your goals and create new objectives to strive towards. For example, something as simple as trying to maintain a modified exercise pattern can help you recuperate from your injury and alleviate sensations of depression.

Meditate

To help deal with the physical distress, pain, and negative feelings that one can encounter post-injury, turning to reflection can help. Although you may believe that sitting still and concentrating on your breath might intensify your negative emotions, contemplation has the opposing effect. Through reflection, you can start reducing stress, calming your nervous system, and alleviating depression while sustaining optimal physical healing.

Journal

When you're ready to recover and process your injury, then working with a counselor may help. We know this isn't easy, whether it's trauma, anxiety, or depression. Journaling your introspections and emotions is a great way to connect with forgotten or suppressed thoughts and feelings. Journaling daily can help you let go of unfavorable emotions, find things you can be thankful for, and remind yourself what makes you really happy. You might even want to try creating a blog to share your accounts with others who have encountered or are encountering the same thing as you chronicle your route to healing.

Counseling in Orlando

Understanding why you're depressed and discussing ways to alleviate that feeling is essential. Speaking to a therapist can help you crush the negative feelings you're dealing with while supplying you with support and motivation. In addition, therapists understand complicated emotions and can help you discover peace as you adapt to the significant life changes that may occur immediately following a severe injury. For example, a counselor may work with you on mindfulness mastery and distress tolerance (i.e., how to manage powerful negative feelings) or may employ Cognitive Behavior Therapy strategies, which research has indicated are valuable for chronic pain.

Use these tips to help you recover from a severe physical injury. And contact us if you need counseling in Orlando. We are here to help.