Illness, especially persistent or long term illness – Long Term Conditions can have multiple negative effects of how you feel and how you feel can impact a lot on them. Long Term Conditions generally can’t be cured but can be  more than controlled with novel holistic approaches focused on enhancing individuals lives physically, mentally and socially. There are many different long term conditions affecting more than 15 million people in the UK alone, ranging from obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary heart disease, asthma, dementia and depression to name a few, and they are increasing in prevalence each year.

Feelings of worry and anxiety are often felt in those with long term conditions for a number of reasons including pain, fear of the future and an inability to cope or control what is going on. However, negative thoughts can lead to negative health outcomes, and when these feelings affect mood and other aspects of daily life it could even lead to the development of depression. It is really beneficial to work on being positive (often easier said than done) to improve medical outcomes and quality of life. Keeping positive is useful for everyone, not just those with long term conditions, negative thoughts can create negativity in many aspects of life.

Depression is two to three times more common in those with a long term condition and negative thoughts have been associated with poor cardiovascular health, impaired wound healing and reduced immune function, so having a positive mentality really is key. Keeping positive can help improve treatment outcome and health, not to mention the positive effects it can have on overall quality of life.

Here are a few tips on working towards a more positive mindset in the face of adversity:

• Learn about the situation you are in and identify how you can make the best out of it – taking control as much as possible is key
• When you can, do the things that make you happy – or at least used too, if still feasible
• Stay connected – spend time with family and friends
• Write down three things you are grateful for each day
• Identify negative thoughts and work on changing them into positive ones
• Seek medical help if you think you may be suffering from depression or anxiety

Adie Blanchard – Researcher

Sources

http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/2046-4053-3-5.pdf

http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG91NICEGuideline.pdf

http://www.iapt.nhs.uk/silo/files/longterm-conditions-positive-practice-guide.pdf

Peters, M. L., Meevissen, Y. M., & Hanssen, M. M. (2013). Specificity of the Best Possible Self intervention for increasing optimism: Comparison with a gratitude intervention. Terapia Psicologica, 31(1), 93-100.