Photo by Charlotte May

Originally Posted On: Ways to Help Someone Through Their Health Struggles (notsalmon.com)

If you have loved ones who are struggling with an illness here are some helpful ways to help someone through their health struggles.

If you’re someone who cares about being there and being supportive to the people around you when they need you most, you’re already doing well.

But wanting to help and knowing how to help are two different things.

This is especially true when you want to help someone through their health struggles.

As you might know, I wrote a bestselling longevity book Life Is Long.  Inside I share a wide range of health and mindset boosters – for maintaining good health and clarity of mind.

Because I wrote a book about health, I have a lot of people coming to me who are struggling with health challenges. I personally recognize how tough it can be to help someone through their health struggles. Discussing illness can be a difficult subject to broach. You might not know how to be the supportive friend or relative that you clearly want to be.

If that’s the case, the tips I’m about to discuss below should help.

Below we’re going to talk about what you can do to support someone who’s having problems with their health.

Going to medical appointments alone when you have health struggles is always difficult and daunting. So be sure to go with them and offer a helping hand through the process.

But, of course, be sure that this is something that they want and will benefit from. You certainly shouldn’t just go ahead and invite yourself to these appointments if that’s not what will benefit this person most.

Be communicative. Let them know that the offer is there and that it’s sincere.

It’s always a good idea to encourage this person to open up and to talk about how they’re feeling.

When they open up and talk, it can be freeing for them and it allows them to get things off their chest that might have been weighing them down.

Encouraging these talks can be done in a variety of ways. One of the best things you can do is ask questions in an open-ended way, giving them a chance to talk freely, while you make it clear that you’re listening attentively.

As you’re encouraging these conversations, you should also make sure that you’re not simply piling the pressure on them. Because that’s not what’s good for them or helpful to you either.

When they’re going through difficult times regarding their health, they won’t want to be pressured into talking about things if that’s something they’re not comfortable doing.

And it’s not fair to pressure anyone to do something they don’t want to either, so you need to strike a careful balance here.

Helping out is about more than talking and being supportive because sometimes it’s the tangible things that make a real difference.

If this person is going through a bad time and their health means that they’re sometimes tired and unable to do things they’d usually be on top of, why not help out with that stuff?

You could offer to cook for them from time to time or give them a break by looking after their kids while they take the time to relax. The options are endless.

It might be the case that due to their health struggles, they’re having to make changes to their lifestyle.

In order to show them some solidarity and to let them know that they’re not alone as they go through all of this, you could make some lifestyle changes too.

For example…

If they need to start eating healthier or ditching certain vices, you could do the same and then the both of you are in it together.

It’s also a good idea to do some research and take the time to understand the specific issues that they’re dealing with. If you’re going to help them in an effective way, you need to have a solid grasp on what they’re experiencing and what it all means.

If you can do that, you’ll be a better friend and might also be able to offer better advice. Your research might help you give advice and help them get help from someone else.

You can visit https://enterhealth.com/outpatient-ocoe/ to find out about places that offer outpatient services for addiction, for example.

If you want to help someone through their health struggle, you need to make sure that you’re also taking the time to take care of yourself.

Helping someone else with their problems is great and important but it can also be very tough and draining, and you need to give yourself some time to relax and look after your wellbeing too.

If you know someone who’s going through health struggles and you’re not sure how to approach the subject, you should be sure to take the time to consider the things discussed above.

Try to be flexible and really pay attention to the details of what they’re going through – which might be forever changing.

They might not know themselves exactly what type of help they need.

So take that into account and be patient with them. One day they might need to talk. The next day, they might need something else entirely.

You should also try not to second guess their needs. Spend more time listening than talking.

It’s difficult to get your approach 100% right 100% of the time. But you can certainly give it a good go by making the most of the tips above.