Wellbeing is a term used to describe how you’re feeling about yourself and the world around you, and how able you are to cope with everyday life, most of the time. It’s much more than how happy you are, it also includes how satisfied you are with your life, and whether you feel a sense of purpose and agency.
If you feel a sense of positive wellbeing you are more likely to feel positive about life and want to be a part of things that are happening around you. If you are struggling with positive wellbeing you may find that you are less interested in doing things you once enjoyed. You may feel more anxious and tense and find it harder to cope with daily life and the stress of your condition.
Resilience, the ability to adapt or cope with challenging life experiences, is key in managing your wellbeing. Following are some resources which may prove helpful to you in supporting your wellbeing. ILFA’s exercise classes, support groups, and other health and wellbeing programmes may also help.
Lung Fibrosis and Wellbeing
Looking after your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Being diagnosed and living with lung fibrosis can be stressful.
It’s common, when diagnosed to feel a wide range of intense emotions and feelings. Emotions can vary but often there is a sense of shock or disbelief, fear, sadness, anger or guilt. It might seem strange, but in some cases, people may experience a sense of relief at diagnosis because they now know what they’re dealing with.
As the disease progresses, emotions continue to arise. For example, breathlessness is common for people with lung fibrosis. The feeling of breathlessness can lead to anxiety, low mood, negative thoughts and anger or frustration.
Looking after your mental health is an important part of your treatment. If you are experiencing poor mental health, you may be less interested in the things you previously enjoyed. You may feel more anxious, tense, or have difficulty coping. The challenges of living with lung fibrosis can be quite difficult, so you need to look after your wellbeing. Your carers may also be struggling, so here are some suggestions for you both.
- Connection – keep in touch with family and friends.
- Be Active and Healthy – find ways to be active daily and maintain a healthy and balanced diet.
- Live Life – focus on the things you enjoy like listening to music, hobbies, and spending time outside in nature.
- Rest – aim for 7 to 8 hours of good quality sleep per night.
- Join a Support Group – ILFA’s regional and on-line support groups are a supportive community when you are struggling.
- Manage Breathlessness – learn breathing and grounding techniques that can help manage the panic and anxiety that can come with breathlessness.
- Share Your Feelings – it can help to talk about having lung fibrosis. You may prefer to talk to family or friends, with members of your support group, try therapy, or to a counsellor.
- Set Goals – Goals can help you focus on what you want to achieve. When developing a goal, it can help to break a big goal down into manageable pieces.
