Health & Wellness Newsletter – March 2025

This month: Mental Health

Last month, I had a nightmare of an air travel experience with my 7 -year -old son. A couple of days later, I read that most of the main airlines were Sue to retract recently promulgated disability protectionsjust to read about new attacks against Disability rights. All this was happening when my 3 -year -old daughter was dealing with the recurrent infections of the ears, my family was passing the particularly unpleasant influenza tension of this year, and the weather … well, it was unpleasant. Among all these stressful factors, the constant impulse of labor obligations and not having time for nothing more than survival, I began to feel that a black cloud was around me.

I suspect that most of you know the feeling. It is impossible to overcome life with a disability without occasionally feeling that the world is urinating in its parade. Sometimes problems pass quickly, sometimes they keep coming. Leaving your own Mental Loop of Doom generally means discovering what is at the root of your problems and then finding mechanisms to deal with stressors when they arise. We will see both the cause and the coping in the following sections.

Come to the roots

Sometimes he feels stressed, anxious or overwhelmed when external factors are relieved. That was the case with my recent stress salad. First, the disease decreased, giving me more time for work and training. Then the sun came out, causing everyone to feel better. Suddenly, I felt I could breathe.

Other times, the causes are much deeper. Tim Gilmer, our editor emeritus, wrote a story about the fight against severe depression after his spinal cord injury. If you are experiencing depression, or ask if you are, Gilmer’s story is well worth reading. Like the article of the deceased Richard Holicky «overcoming depression», which examines both LME psychologists and wheelchairs users about what true depression is, what causes it and what people find useful for treatment.

In that story, Lester Butt, LME psychologist at the Craig hospital, explained that traditional clinical depression indicators often do not apply very well to people with SCI. Instead, «I am looking for cognitive markers such as impotence, hopelessness and uselessness,» he said. Gilmer adds loneliness to the list.

Two pillars of a satisfactory life as a wheelchair user are the community and the purpose. Finding people who can connect and face similar challenges can help both loneliness and hopelessness. Many wheelchair users find that peer support groups, either in person or virtual, are an invaluable resource to improve mental and emotional health. Like Lavoris McGhee, a UNITED SPINALS ASSOCIATION Member of Arkansas, he said: «It is easier to go through difficult times in which you have people with whom to talk to who can relate.»

Our «Connecting with your Companions» guide offers a variety of peer support resources, and United Spinal has a robust peer support network through its two Chapter and affiliate Peer support group networks.

For others, adaptive sports, especially team sports, can offer the same community of classmates. Adaptive athletes often refer to their respective sports such as «support groups for people who do not like support groups.»

Finding something (or things) that gives a purpose to your life can help you work beyond the feelings of impotence and uselessness. Society often presents the work as the only true path to find a purpose, but that devalues ​​the experiences of many people with disabilities, writes Cassandra Brandt in «self -esteem, shame and injury to the spinal cord.»

Writing, art, volunteer, education, defense And any amount of other activities can create a purpose in your life while providing confidence and skills to handle new challenges. Compliance activities can also serve as coping mechanisms, which we will see below. But first, let’s breathe deeply.

Functional aptitude

Box breathing for wheelchair users – Stress relief restart

Fight with stressful factors

Even if it has a solid base, a solid support network and activities that provide a purpose, wheelchair life can still serve a thousand stressful factors. Medical problems appear out of nowhere. Disabilities aging presents its own complications and uncertainties. Caregivers there is no show. The mobility team is broken. The list continues.

When you feel like the world to catch you, one of the best ways to face is to go into the world. One of my favorite decompression methods is to go to a hand in hand. If the weather is too disgust, I will ride the coach or put some headphones and lift in the gym. In addition to physiological benefits, there are copious investigations that exercise is an elevator of natural humor. However, you don’t have to crush yourself. Going to a roll on a path or through your neighborhood will give you fresh air and your blood in motion. The Power wheelchair user, Melissa Crisp Cooper, writes about the power of adaptive yoga to connect it with your body and community.

Almost any recreational activity or hobby, from more extreme efforts such as mountain cycling or surfing, to quieter activities such as bird observation or fishing, and everything else can offer the same improvement in mood. The trick is to find what you like without spending a fortune. He Active project of the Kelly Brush Foundation It is a great resource to find organizations that offer adaptive sports and recreational opportunities in their area. They also have a tool to help you find subsidies for equipment or other costs associated with these activities.

There is also a variety of other relief mechanisms and stress coping. Greg Moomjy recently wrote about how meditation helps him deal with «disability pain.» Other relaxation techniques such as «Rest without sleep» either breath They are inherently accessible and can be powerful tools to handle chronic stress or even depression. Many wheelchair users also find that conversation therapy, traditional treatment for depression is effective. Thanks to modern technology, online platforms such as Better help, Conversation space And others make to find and see a licensed therapist is easier and more accessible than ever.

Remember that different coping mechanisms work better for different people. Finding the most effective can take time. Do not be afraid to ask for help.

If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, immediately communicate to 988 suicide and life crisis or calling or sending text messages to 998. These services are free and confidential.

Nutrition suggestion

When it is under stress, there are numerous nutritional strategies that you can incorporate into your daily regime. The increase in vitamin vitamin and B vitamins, reduce caffeine and alcohol, increase probiotic intake and take vitamin D supplements can help fight the negative effects of stress.

– Joanne Smith, Certificate Certificate,
of his article «address stress»