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Caring for Our Mental Health as Patients with IPF.
There is no shortage of literature which states that caring for your mental health is equally as important as your physical health. This is especially true for those of us with a chronic illness. As a patient living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive lung disease that has and will inevitably continue to steal away my physical health; I have recently increased my focus on caring for my mental health. This isn’t always easy when physically we need so much assistance, but it is very important to our overall ability to cope with this disease.
Caring for your mental health doesn’t have to be any kind of big production. It can simply mean being intentional about setting aside time to do something you enjoy. It might even mean shutting out the world and just embracing quiet, which is something I really enjoy doing myself. However, this weekend I spent time caring for my mental health and while I am now physically very tired, my heart and soul feel full.
I love the holiday season, and this weekend I had a close friend up (who used to be a mentor to me as a student, so it is really special that she’s become a friend) and we spent time creating handmade Christmas cards. We laughed, we drank some wine, we caught up with each other’s lives in person vs. over social media and we produced some beautiful holiday cards (see pictures). I’ve always known that crafting and do-it-yourself (DIY) projects lift me up, but sometimes I don’t realize how much I need the soul-filling projects to remember that I am a person first, and a patient with IPF second. Too often my disease takes the drivers seat in my life, because it has to, but this weekend I focused on my passions, joys and what I liked to do. I would consider this weekend an intentional dedication to caring for my mental health throughout this journey with IPF.
Photo belongs to Charlene Marshall: please do not duplicate or share without permission.How do you “refill your cup” while living with IPF/PF? What brings you joy?
What types of things do you do to care for your mental health and tend to yourself beyond just the physical demands of IPF/PF?
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