How to Stay Positive, Hopeful and Healthy After An Accident
Accidents are harsh on even the toughest people. Waking up every day and completing daily tasks such as cleaning, going to work, walking the dog, and taking care of your kids can seem impossible. Even doing the things you love can seem like a genuine struggle. Fortunately, there are tried and true strategies for staying upbeat and getting on with your daily life as you recover from your accident.
Eating Right
If you want to stay down in the blues, ordering pizza and takeout will keep you there. While it may feel good to gorge on instant meals, cookies, chips, soda, and candy while you are recovering from an injury or getting over an accident, junk food is proven to increase your risk of depression and cause weight gain and nutritional deficiencies.
Eating right will help your body heal and recover faster while keeping your brain fed with the vitamins it needs to thrive. Here are some of the healthiest foods to eat while recovering both physically and mentally from an accident:
- Carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, and kale: These foods are an excellent source of vitamin A, which helps create white blood cells. And if you’re injured, you need plenty of white blood cells to fight off infection.
- Oranges, strawberries, peppers, and broccoli: These foods are filled with vitamin C, which helps build connective tissue, scar tissue, blood vessels, cartilage, and bone cells.
- Salmon, tuna, blue fish, mackerel, and trout: These fish are packed with omega-3 fatty acids that work hard to fight inflammation and depression.
You won’t regret eating healthy as you get started on your road to recovery and work with your accident attorney to handle all your legal needs.
Spend Time with Family and Friends
When most people need support, they rarely ask. Why turn down help from your family and friends when you need it most?
Don’t let pride or the fear of “not wanting to be a burden” stop you from taking your loved ones up on their offers to help make your life easier as you recover from your accident.
Here are a few ways friends and family can help so you can focus on finding a top accident lawyer in Gainesville to get your legal issues in order:
- Cooking dinner
- Cleaning
- Running errands
- Taking the kids to school
- Grocery shopping
It’s going to take more than just your own will to recover and get back to your life. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to speed up that process by sharing the everyday responsibilities with someone else.
Give Back by Volunteering
Nothing helps you put life in perspective more than doing volunteer work. Spend a couple of hours at a food pantry, soup kitchen or children’s hospital to focus your energy on giving back and to remind yourself how lucky you are to be alive after your accident. There are many ways to volunteer in Gainesville, Florida, and there’s no shortage of opportunities to help others. Explore this list of volunteer opportunities and learn how you can make a difference today.
Leave Your House
Sometimes just leaving your house can spark feelings of hope. When you hide away at home, lights down and closed off from the world, you have nothing to do but think about your situation.
You don’t need to get too adventurous right away. Simply walking out into your backyard, front porch, or the sidewalk is a good start.
Once you’re outside, take deep breaths and focus on the sky. Try to calm yourself and think about the fact you are alive and on the road to recovery. Here are a few simple ways you can enjoy the great outdoors without too much effort:
- Sit on your porch and observe nature. Listening to birds chirping, watching squirrels play, and breathing in fresh air are relaxing ways to unwind after an accident.
- Go for a short walk. Taking a stroll around the block can go a long way in boosting your spirits and getting your mind off your accident or injury.
- You don’t have to go to the beach to bask in the sun. Stretching out on a cozy chair is a great way to catch some rays. Sunlight exposure can boost your vitamin D levels, which leads to higher serotonin levels. Just don’t forget your sunscreen.
Ask Your Lawyer for a Referral to a Therapist
Consulting with a therapist or psychiatrist after an accident is especially important if you are experiencing persistent negative thoughts or distress. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is very common among accident victims. Here a few signs you may have PTSD:
- Intense feelings of anxiety and anxiety attacks.
- Intense, intrusive, and unnerving memories of the accident.
- Insomnia, oversleeping, and nightmares.
- Sudden mood swings and losing interest in things you normally enjoy.
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms or need someone to talk to, asking for help from a professional is completely normal and healthy. If you don’t know a therapist or feel uncomfortable asking friends and family for a recommendation, your personal injury lawyer should have someone to recommend. Remember, all conversations you have with your lawyer or therapist are confidential.
Start a Spiritual Practice
It’s no coincidence that for centuries humans have found solace, peace, hope and healing through prayer and spiritual rituals. The act of going to church or temple once a week can do wonders for your spirit. Even if you have never been a religious person, you may find unique value in a spiritual practice of life during this difficult time.
Don’t be a Stranger
Gainesville personal injury cases can go on for months and even years. It’s easy to lose touch and not know the progress of your personal injury case. But staying in the dark for months on end can create unnecessary panic and stress in your life. Talk to your lawyer or someone in their office regularly. Ask your attorney before hiring them if they will provide consistent updates and keep you informed.
Working with a compassionate and experienced injury attorney can help you find many valuable resources for your recovery. Our team knows and understands the struggle you face. If you or someone you love has been injured in an accident and would like to speak to an accident attorney in Gainesville, we are here to help.
We invite you to schedule a free consultation, and an Avera and Smith personal injury lawyer will gladly meet with you any day of the week. At Avera & Smith, we are committed to using our 60 years of legal experience and personalized service to get the results you deserve.