Coping with chronic illness or another challenging health issue?
Get advice and techniques from the Return to Wellness® blog to make the most of your life in the way that matters to you.
Looking for something?
What questions do you have on coping with chronic illness or another health issue?
Manage your health issue
Reclaim your emotional health
Reclaim your relationships
Return to work
Reclaim meaning & purpose in life
Reclaim hobbies & interests
For carers & supporters
Real-life stories (case studies)
All the blogs here
What to do when a health issue strikes at the most inconvenient time
It sucks when a health issue strikes at the most inconvenient time. You’re busy, you got a life, work to do, people to see, family to take care, fun to have. And a health issue can stop everything. Or maybe not stop everything, but it can take up time and energy you...
How to move on from being depressed about your illness
Learning to move on from being depressed about your illness is not a small project. It can feel nigh on impossible. You may feel stuck and sad more than you feel happy, and you wonder if you will ever feel better about yourself, your body and your life. If this helps,...
Is the NHS wasting money and recycling enough?
Is the NHS wasting money and recycling enough? I had to ask myself this question the other week when talking to a nurse about hospital procedures and practices. The NHS wasting money might be real. Also, as you will read, the NHS isn’t recycling enough either. I find...
What is the impact of anxiety like and how to manage it
The impact of anxiety - What is this like for you? Are you aware of when and how anxiety shows up in your life? How it slides into the driving seat in charge of your choices and actions? Do you know when it all started? Many people have talked to me about the increase...
How to know if you are wasting your precious energy
Do you feel like you’re wasting your precious energy? You’re living with a serious health issue or a loved one is so you have that to deal with. And life continues to happen, throwing curve balls your way. You’re trying to deal with it all and feeling pretty stressed...
How to manage your health issue successfully
Learning how to manage your health issue successfully (or well enough) can sometimes feel like a full-time job. You have a lot to learn about your health issue, how people tend to be affected, what treatments there are, is there a cure, what non-medical treatments can...
How to set strong goals for your rehabilitation plan
It’s important to set strong goals for your rehabilitation plan to help you in your ongoing recovery from a serious health issue. Strong goals are the foundation of your plan. They provide a destination to work towards and even the direction to take to that...
Here is what you need to focus on when creating a rehabilitation plan
Creating a rehabilitation plan to manage your recovery from a serious illness, injury, relapse or exacerbation of symptoms is doing what you can to take control and positively influence your outcomes. Sometimes on this journey you can feel at a loss on what to do and...
Here are the 10 principles of a good rehabilitation plan
Having a rehabilitation plan for recovery and managing the illness or injury sometimes feels like an afterthought in the treatment and care of people with serious health issues. Unfortunately, I often hear of people being discharged without any information other than...
Here are the 10 things to do when your recovery is uncertain
When your recovery is uncertain, it can be a difficult time. Scary even because you don’t know how much functionality you’ll get back and how long that will take. That might make for uncomfortable reading. I am mentioning this up front to acknowledge your or your...
When is being defined by your disability a good thing?
When is being defined by your disability a good thing? Is it a good thing to be defined by your disability? Or not? You may have a disability and think, ’Yes, I have a disability.’ But you may not consider yourself disabled. I’ve been discussing these questions...
How to cope with a setback in recovery from illness
Last week I shared five things you can do to cope with a setback in recovery from illness or injury and this week I continue on that theme by sharing five more. A setback can be really disappointing. It’s typically not expected. And given everything you’ve been...