A Friend In Need: How To Support A Loved One Recovering From Illness Or Injury

If you have a close friend or a family member who is recovering from an illness or injury, it’s natural to want to do everything possible to help and support them, but how do you make sure that you do and say the right things? It can be challenging to find the right balance between taking over and being too intrusive and ensuring that your friend knows you’re there whenever they need you. Here are some tips you may find helpful. 

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Offer an ear

Often, when you have to deal with the aftermath of an injury, or you’re struggling to cope with a long-term illness, it can affect both your mental and physical health. Sometimes, people find it easy to talk, but in other cases, opening up is a real challenge. If you have a friend who is recovering after an accident or a relative who has been diagnosed with a chronic mental or physical illness, you can help them out by informing them that you are there if they ever want to talk. This might be the invitation they’ve been looking for to discuss their feelings or emotions, or it may simply give them access to somebody to call upon if they need cheering up or they fancy talking about something that takes their mind off their injuries or symptoms. 

Do some research

If you’ve never been in the same boat as your loved one, it can be difficult to appreciate and understand what they’re going through. If you feel like you’re in the dark, it’s really useful to try and learn more about the condition or the injuries and complications your friend is faced with. If you’re trying to help a friend recovering from an eating disorder, for example, talk to their doctors, read up about the specific disorder on the Internet using reputable, reliable sources, and take an interest if they’re willing to talk to you about their illness and how it affects them on a daily basis. You might be interested to see an anorexia recovery meal plan or to talk to people who have been through the recovery process and emerged the other side. You don’t want to spout facts at somebody or tell them things they already know, but it helps to have an understanding. 

Be positive

When you’re feeling low, and you’re struggling with your health and wellbeing, you need people around you like never before. Try and be a positive influence, and ensure that being around helps your friend. Encourage them if they’re showing signs of progress, build their confidence, and urge them to keep going if they’re getting frustrated by the speed of their recovery. Be a cheerleader and play to your individual strengths. Perhaps you’re not the person who is necessarily the best at giving practical advice, but maybe you can bring a smile to that person’s face every time you see them because they think you’re funny and you take their mind off their recovery. 

Most of us go through periods when we need others to help us out. If you’re eager to support a loved one, hopefully, this guide will benefit both you and your friend.