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The aftermath of an accident: the road to recovery

Author: Holly Chavez
Published: Aug 16 2014

When you’ve been involved in a car accident and have sustained injuries, it is not uncommon during the aftermath to find yourself experiencing depression. In fact, it would be rare NOT to suffer this type of emotional crisis after such an event. There is so much that you must deal with, including financial impact, effects on your family and home life, pain management and just reorganizing your life in general - and the stress will often lead to injury-related depression.

Aftermath of an accident

Beating Injury-related Depression

The condition doesn’t have to become a permanent way of life (even if it feels that way at the time). If you find yourself having a hard time emotionally dealing with the trauma or overwhelming things you have to handle, there are actions to take that will help you regain control over your life.

When an accident happens, you are often panicked, frightened and worried. Later, we scramble to adjust to deal with serious injuries that have occurred. Nevertheless, there are certain actions you will need to take, to not only heal your body, but also cope with the blow to your spirit. Here are some suggestions to return your spirit to as close as possible to what it was before the devastating event:

1. Ditch the Sweats and Go!

It often becomes a habit to stay at home in your sweats or sleepwear and not plan to go out. Even if you do decide to go out, you may feel too stressed take pride in the way you look or what you wear - and that's not good for your emotional well-being at all. One way to make yourself feel better emotionally is to feel attractive physically. Even with injuries, medical devices, or healing scar tissue, you can get a new haircut or don a nice outfit and make yourself feel better. This simple action can have a significant impact on your emotional well-being.

2. Find Refuge Away from Home

Staying in the house because of your injury is often necessary, but it can be bad for your emotional health. In your subconscious you may begin to feel 'trapped' by the situation. Make it a point to get out and do something you have always wanted to do, even if it’s complicated. Aren’t there so many nice restaurants, bed and breakfast spots, and cultural events that you never got around to going to before you were hurt? Getting up and going to some of these places can help you feel like a part of the community and will also help in the healing process.

3. Bond with Those Close to You

All too often, when someone is injured, they turn away from their friends and loved ones not wanting to be a burden. It is imperative to keep a close network of people around you during this difficult time so that you never feel like you are facing everything alone. Having loved ones near also gives you more reasons to go out to dinner or a movie - and another reason to be dressed nicely when in their company. Remember everyone has tough times and sometimes, in opening up and sharing your feelings with others, you’ll find even stronger bonds with them than you had before.

4. Learn to Delegate Worries

You need to know when it is time to allow someone else to worry about some of the issues surrounding the accident instead of carrying the burden all by yourself. According to Todd Nissenholtz, an accident lawyer from Springfield, Missouri, a car crash can happen in an instant, but the consequences can last for years. Even the handling of complex interactions with an insurance company is better left to legal counsel instead of trying to manage it all yourself. Their experiences in these matters are to your benefit, and it gives you more time to concentrate on taking care of yourself and healing.

5. Know When It is too Much

If you find that nothing is helping your depressed mood, it may be time to get some life coaching or physical or mental therapy. There are many therapeutic programs designed for you that can help with healing and mobility while also teaching you how to readjust your life. These programs do not encourage medications or hospitalization as they are more concerned with helping you as an individual and not just in general.

Accidents and injuries vary between events. You cannot categorize or guess who will experience depression and who will not. It is easy to assume, however, that most people do go through times of distress after an accident, regardless of severity or type of injury. Knowing that this is a natural response should alleviate some of the fear associated with the depression, and give you a reason to fight back.

Holly Chavez is a frequent contributor to self-help and health blogs. She enjoys providing thought-provoking content to readers and hopes that this article will help people with their vehicle-related injuries. Comment if you find the article will be useful to help you or someone that you know recover from an injury.

Photo Source: ryan melaugh https://flic.kr/p/nhRkoY

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