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Adjusting to the New Lifestyle: 5 Adjustments to Make When Adapting to Your Disability
Adjusting to life with a disability poses both practical and psychological challenges. Finding ways to make the activities of daily life more manageable can go a long way toward addressing both these categories. Read on to find out about five adjustments to make when adapting to a disability to learn how to get started.
Find Ways to Stay Active
Living with a disability doesn’t have to be an isolating experience. Find ways to stay active and get out of the house to continue pursuing current goals and find new, rewarding experiences. Recently disabled individuals can shop wheelchair accessible vehicles online to find vehicles that will accommodate their unique needs. That way, they can continue going out on excursions, socializing, and living meaningful lives.
Set Realistic Goals
Adjusting to a disability requires learning new skills and exercising patience. It can be frustrating having to relearn how to do simple things, and it’s only natural to want to get back to comparatively normal life as quickly as possible, but it’s important to set realistic goals. Trying to move too quickly can lead to disappointment and discouragement, so be patient and just keep moving forward at a reasonable pace. This goes for physical exercise, mental health, daily living activities, and more.
Learn to Accept Help
Maintaining positive relationships with family members and friends is more important than ever, and most loved ones just want to help. Don’t be afraid to accept help with getting around, offers to talk about how the disability is affecting daily life, or invitations to engage in fun activities that may require some physical assistance.
Those who don’t have a very strong support network to fall back on shouldn’t be discouraged. They can try joining a disability support group or scheduling an appointment with a mental health professional to find help combating loneliness and isolation. Just having someone to talk to can make facing challenges much easier.
Develop New Hobbies
Finding that it’s hard to engage in some of the activities that used to make life more enjoyable? It might be time to find some new hobbies. Developing new hobbies and passions will both offer some distraction on difficult days and give disabled individuals the chance to meet other people with similar interests.
Get Exercise
Most disabled people can still find ways to stay in shape. Getting enough exercise with a condition that causes limited mobility may require some creativity, but it’s important to focus on those athletic activities that are possible instead of the things mobility-impaired people can no longer do.
Patients should set reasonable goals, listen to what their bodies are telling them, and judge progress on a day-to-day basis. While they might never get back to the same physical shape they were in prior to becoming disabled, most patients can still improve their physical health and regain a good deal of function.
The Bottom Line
There’s no denying that adapting to a new disability is hard. With a little creative thinking and a strong will, any mobility-impaired person can find ways to create a life that is just as meaningful as the one he or she lived prior to becoming disabled. Don’t be afraid to accept help, and take advantage of mobility aids to make daily living easier, as this allows patients more time to engage in fun, meaningful activities. Over time, the new lifestyle they’ve developed will feel natural and fulfilling.
