by Jennifer Olson

Created on: November 06, 2009

There are several factors to healing once a person is diagnosed with a health matter. If the diagnosis is a severe medical condition, physicians and hospital care is imperative to sucessful healing. Once diagnosed, there are often mental health symptoms that arise. The first question most people ask is, "Why?" "How did and could this happen to me?" This is not considered denial, this is considered a discovery phase in an illness.

During this discovery phase, the first instinct is to research the illness. You have to find the severity and possible causes. Was this diagnosis caused by your lifestyle or a cruel turn of fate? At this point, a persons mind will follow one of two paths. Depression or positive thought.

The roles of prayer and meditation in self-healing are just as important as medical treatment. If you suffer from sadness and despair, the body will soon follow suite and give up. Rest and relaxation are important roles to healing from any diagnosis from a simple cold to a severe life threatening diagnosis. Give to yourself and provide rest in an effort to calm the mind and body.

The loss of control in the outcome of your own health is the hardest to overcome. Faith will help you overcome by providing you a peaceful mindset that will allow you to focus on healing.

Prayer will provide peace if you turn over all of your problems, put your hands in the air and give your problems away. Give your burden away. Allow yourself to be positive, for yourself and your family. Yes, you are going through a traumatic experience, so are your loved ones. Why should you worry about them when you are the one sick? When you are positive and hopeful, so are your loved ones. This will provide calm and positive support that you will need. Allow them to be there for you and provide tasks to your loved ones so they feel useful to you. Your family and friends want to help you. You should help them to help you. Thinking of others is difficult during illness but is important and will allow you to continue positive behavior that is needed to support your mental health.

Meditation is a way for you to focus on areas in your life and body that need your attention. Clearing your mind to then fill the mind with one specific calming thought will bring a calming effect to your body during a stressfull time. Some think that mediciation is dedicated to certain religions. Meditation is a solution to focus and calm your body. During a stressful moment, meditation can help reduce your heart rate and stress to give a relaxing state in order to handle a situation.

Meditation comes in many forms, it is not simply sitting on a mat with your legs crossed. When mommy says, "I need ten seconds!" During these ten seconds, mommy is focusing on a way to calm down so that her anger does not make a situation worse. Once the ten seconds are over, she feels better and handles the situation.

Mental health during a physical illness should be as important to health care providers as their clinical care. Strides to provide support for a patients mental health can substantially impact a patient's care and can only help the outcome.

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