Your medical chart only tells part of the story.
Living with an illness or significant change in your health can affect much more than your physical wellbeing. Work, relationships, independence, routines, plans for the future, and even how you see yourself can all shift. Sometimes the hardest parts aren't the medical ones; they're figuring out how to live with everything that has changed.
There can be grief in this, too.
You may find yourself grieving the life you had before your health changed, things you can no longer do in the same way, or a future you had pictured differently. At the same time, there may be uncertainty, frustration, difficult decisions, or the pressure to stay positive for the people around you. You may also feel frustrated because you've changed, your life has changed, and some of the people around you just might not get that. Adjusting doesn't mean you have to be okay with everything that's happened.
Figuring out what life looks like now.
Illness can demand that you to make adjustments you never expected to make. This might mean finding new ways to manage your energy, navigating changes in relationships or independence, dealing with uncertainty, or figuring out what still matters to you when some of your old plans no longer fit. We can work together on both the emotional and practical parts of that adjustment, using approaches such as CBT and mindfulness where they’re useful, without pretending there’s a simple way to make any of this okay.
As a registered nurse and nurse psychotherapist (qualifying), I’m comfortable with medical language and the realities of health care. That means we can spend less time translating the medical side of what’s happening and more time focusing on what it means for your life.
Virtual counselling for adults in Alberta, whether you're in a small town, big city, or rural community. Coffee or tea, comfy clothes, and pets welcome (and encouraged).
