Anxiety and depression can affect all of us, but when someone is in the midst of a rehabilitative journey following a serious accident or illness, mental stress and depression are particularly likely to strike.
Thus, anyone undergoing rehab of any kind should go into it aware of these dangers and of how to avoid them. Here are 7 top tips to implement to avoid anxiety/depression during rehabilitation.
1. Trust A Top-tier Facility With Your Rehab Process
Knowing you are in good hands will greatly reduce anxiety. Carefully choosing a rehabilitation facility with a full-range of rehab programs that meet your needs is essential.
Look for programs run by registered nurses and certified nurse assistants and that cover all the bases with physical, occupational, and speech therapies as well as full nursing care and wound care.
2. Eat Right During Rehab And You Will Feel Better
Inpatient rehabilitation doesn’t have to be a time of suffering through barely edible cafeteria food! Eating right will help you feel right, and therefore, you need to take your rehab diet seriously.
Find a center that offers meals that are healthy, delicious, and suited to special diets. Also insist on 24/7 availability of food and options like an on-campus restaurant.
3. Find Ways To Stay As Active As Possible
The inpatient rehabilitation process will involve gradually increasing your physical activities and abilities. You don’t want to overexert and hurt yourself, of course, but you also want to be as active as you can.
That’s why finding a facility that includes on-site socializing and activity centers is a major plus. And being active will help you avoid becoming depressed.
4. Put Yourself In A Healthy, Pleasant Environment
We like to think that our living quarters have little or nothing to do with how we feel from day to day. But the truth is, a modern, clean, adequately spacious room makes it a lot easier to stay positive. Quality accommodations can do much to fight depression during rehab.
5. Take Precautions To Avoid A Cold Or The Flu
It’s no secret that fall and winter, even in the relatively warm Texas Panhandle, is cold and flu season. Follow these tips to help ensure you avoid the flu or a cold during the cooler months of the year if you are in rehab at the time. Few things are more depressing, after all than being sick.
6. Take It One Step At A Time
To avoid being depressed, whether during short term rehabilitation or long term rehabilitation, one time-tested strategy is to simply take it one day and one step at a time.
Inpatient rehabilitation can be a challenging process. You need to monitor your progress, focus on the final goal, and celebrate each victory along the way.
7. Keep Up Communications With Loved Ones
Finally, avoid isolation during rehab. Inpatient rehabilitation doesn’t have to mean spending all of your time alone. Friends and family can visit or even sleepover in many facilities. And time spent with nurses, therapists, roommates, or other patients on the premises can result in new friendships.
For more advice on how to stay healthy on the inside as you continue to recover on the outside, or to inquire about joining us for short or long term rehabilitative services, contact Arbors Amarillo in Amarillo, TX, today!
