When someone you love has been hurt, it’s hard not to fly into a rage and hunt down the people who are responsible for their pain. In the modern era, however, this is almost never the wisest response to give. The following will explore a few key components of helping your loved one recover after a serious accident.
Take A Deep Breath
Breathe in deeply and breathe out slowly. You might be needed in capacities you’re not used to being needed in. That’s okay. Love is like that sometimes. What’s not okay is destroying yourself in the process. You don’t know how long it’s going to take your loved one to recover, and this means you need to be playing a long game with your energy. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Regularly pause and take deep breaths. Remove things from your life that exhaust you like social media or that one friend who’s always supercritical or that other friend who won’t stop talking about politics. Seek out methods of stress reduction like deep breathing, meditation, prayer, or comfortable exercise. Long showers count too. Make sure that you’re prioritizing your energy levels.
Listen To Them
People respond to difficulties in different ways. This is okay; it’s part of what makes humans so great at surviving. If some of us are approaching things one way and another group another way with a third party trying something totally different, chances are, someone is going to be alright. When it comes to recovering from a serious accident, our differences can become abundantly clear. Take the time to actively listen to your loved one. Try to get them what they need, even if you’re sure that’s not what you would need if you were in their shoes.
Encourage Them To Get Legal Advice
The law is a complicated thing and all too often, pursuing one course of action after an incident legally prevents you from being allowed to take another course of action. To make matters more complex, insurance companies tend to want to spend as little as possible, so they might urge you to respond to an event in a way that’s not in your best interest. Before dealing with the other parties involved or insurance companies, seek legal advice. Legal professionals from the WIN injury network also point out that attorneys can often present you with the long-term possibilities of your situation and connect you with the financial or healthcare support you might need. They see a lot of accidents and injuries and so tend to have an idea of what has helped people deal with the repercussions of them.
Don’t Ignore Mental Health Signs
Serious accidents don’t just affect the body; they often influence the mind and emotions. This is particularly common when an injury prevents someone from doing the things that their identity is built around. If someone can’t work or meet their obligations with family and friends, they may develop negative thoughts about themselves and their value. Furthermore, accidents are the number one cause of post-traumatic stress disorder in America. Mental health care is just as important when it comes to recovery as physical health care.
Suggest They Refrain From Using Social Media
Social media is kind of magical; it allows you to interact with anyone from anywhere on earth without even having to wait one second for your message to be delivered. This being said, it can easily be used against you in a court of law. If any legal aspects of the accident aren’t yet resolved, social media might not be a good idea. Even something simple like commenting on the recent football game can be interpreted by legal professionals as someone not being as hurt as they claim they are.
Don’t Settle Medically
If your loved one feels that the advice they were given by the doctor isn’t right, seek a second opinion. Studies have been done on these kinds of inklings; 88% of people who seek a second opinion end up with a refined diagnosis. Over 20% will leave their appointment with a diagnosis that is distinctly different than the first. We are more in tune with our bodies than we know. If your loved one wants another opinion, help them find one.
The above information should help you support your loved one as they recover from a severe accident. Emotional support can be a beautiful thing, and it can bring you closer than ever with your loved one, provided you make sure that you’re getting the time you need to recharge.