All families argue. It’s completely normal to have the odd disagreement, especially if you’ve got teenagers in the house. Most conflicts come when we’re busy and tired, or when we’ve all got a lot going on outside of the home. Most of these disagreements are small. We bicker, and we share cross words, we might say something that we’ll regret later. But, most families move on quickly. These arguments are resolved rapidly and forgotten, then we get on with our lives.
This isn’t always the case, however. Sometimes, the same things lead to the same arguments, again and again. We keep coming back to them, we can’t move on, and they are creating a negative atmosphere and hurting our relationships. If your family is arguing more than you’d like, here are some tips to help you reduce the arguing at home.
Manage Your Money
The most common family arguments are about money. When we first start dating someone, we never argue, because family finance isn’t part of our lives. Our money is our own. Then, when we move in together and our finances become linked, things get more complicated. Suddenly we care about what our partner is spending, and we have to think more carefully about where our own money goes.
Creating a family budget can be tough. Especially when money is tight. But, it can make life run more smoothly, reducing arguments. Look at how to find a financial planner if you need a little help managing your money.
You might also want to consider keeping your own bank accounts if money is a source of problems. Have a joint account for bills, but keep your own money separate too.
Have Clear Rules and Expectations
Another common cause of arguments is all having different rules. If the kids aren’t allowed chocolate for breakfast, should the adults be? Make your family rules clear, even writing them down somewhere that everyone can see. If these rules are broken, there should be consequences, but it’s important that you are all clear about your rules and your expectations.
Slow Down and Do Something Fun
Most family tension arises when we’ve got giant to-do lists, and we’re all busy with our own things. We don’t have the chance to communicate our feelings appropriately, and we’re more likely to be snappy and have misunderstandings when we’re in a rush. So, slow down. Clear your to-do lists, ignore the chores for a day and go out together as a family. Do something fun or just spend a lazy day at home together.
Ask Yourself if It’s Worth it
When you are angry, it can be hard to think straight. So, sometimes it’s a good idea to remove yourself from the situation for a while. Think about your family, and all of the positives in your life. Ask yourself if what you are angry about is worth it. Is it worth losing a day of happy family life to fight this battle? In the grand scheme of things, do you care about this problem that much? If you do, go back and talk. If you don’t, let it go.
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Surely, it’s unfair nowadays to proclaim the television as the idiot box? While the television has been the backbone of family life for the last 60-plus years, so many people view it as the epitome of idiocy. But, for a lot of families, if it wasn’t for the television, they wouldn’t bond at all. In fact, think about your own experiences growing up. The television was there, and it was, usually on in the background. Now, not to say that television is amazing for us in every sense, but now, with the internet, and the various ways we consume information now, the television could be the one and only way that we can spend time together as a family. Some of the latest cable tv statistics would have a lot to say in this regard. So, we need to make the most of this box in the corner of a living room. But if you have concerns that it is making you and your family stupid, what can you do to ensure that the TV helps you cement quality family time, but without destroying brain cells?
Altering Your Own Viewing Habits
It’s a delicate balance to get right when we are TV addicts ourselves. We know that there is a lot of bad quality television out there, and if we are guilty of watching hour after hour of reality TV, we don’t want to pass these habits on to our children. So, when we think about what our kids start to watch at a young age in terms of their own habits, the best indicator of what your children will watch is actually what you watch. As a parent, if you don’t watch anything educational, and you are setting this example of television habits, your children will grow up accepting that this is the norm. So, it’s an age-old expression, but practice what you preach. When our children are young, they are so impressionable, that they will watch what we watch, and these habits will become embedded in their life. So if you are guilty of watching Keeping Up With The Kardashians, talk shows, and similar content, maybe it’s best to keep this firmly under wraps. When you are watching television as a family, go for good quality content. While there are numerous family shows out there, are many of them educational? If your children are young enough, sitting down with them and watching shows they like, but you know has an undercurrent of education, is a great way to get your kids hooked onto good stuff. CommonSenseMedia.org has a list of educational TV shows to get you started. But as our children grow up emulating us in one way or another, if you want to make sure that your children are using the TV for good, then you have to alter your viewing habits drastically. This means having the History Channel on in the background or going for family quiz shows to encourage a bit of friendly competition in the living room.
Using Television As An Example Of What Is Good And Bad In Society
One of the biggest positives of watching TV is the fact that it can increase your emotional intelligence. While most people consider television to be something that rots your brain, if you watch TV in an active sense, rather than a passive one, you will develop this emotional intelligence, where you begin to develop your own self-awareness, as well as awareness of other people. Emotional intelligence is one of the biggest indicators of demonstrating empathy and observation. It’s unfair to say that television is very selfish activity because when you watch good quality shows, you can become actively involved in something that you wouldn’t normally do in real life, because television shows these heightened scenarios that we seldom come across. While there are numerous shows out there that are realistic, by exercising our ability to think laterally, and from other perspectives, we can begin to differentiate between right and wrong. This is important for children at a young age. We are all impressionable when we’re young, and we grow up, for the most part, understanding what is right and what is wrong, but it’s not as simple as this. Of course, there are numerous shows out there that blur the lines and highlight moral dilemmas, and this can help to instigate interesting debates in the family household. Cable TV is one of the biggest purveyors of high-quality drama, that shows complex characters, where they are doing something wrong in a literal sense, but they are wrestling internally with themselves. Classic shows like The Sopranos or Breaking Bad were mainstays of cable TV but dealt with moral implications in an intelligent manner. Cable TV is full of drama of this ilk, and you can go on Optimum.com to learn more about the various cable TV channels and premium packages if you are interested in going down this avenue. But also, it’s important not to underestimate the news as a way to instigate debate with your children. Be sensible, because the news can throw up topics that you don’t want to discuss with your children because they’re too young, but, the point is, as far as instigating debate and looking at things from other perspectives is concerned, television is a very good tool!
Connecting With Your Children
Because we watch TV on many different devices now, that actual quality time with people are sat as a family in front of the TV seems to be non-existent. This is why we can use television to connect with our children, not just in terms of being sat in the same room at the same time, but we can use television as a way to communicate with each other. Your children like a certain show, so it gives you the opportunity to sit down with them to watch it and to talk about it. When your children are toddlers, there are going to be many kids TV shows that they love, and by sitting down with them, and watching these shows, no matter how much they numb your brain, the children are going to be grateful to you. When we are raising our kids, it’s so easy for us to not be present in the moment, because we either sat on our phones while the kids are watching TV, or we just got too many things to do, but if you take that opportunity to sit down on the floor, cross-legged, with your child, watching their favorite show, you will feel much closer to your child. And as they get older, you can use their favorite TV shows as a way to make quality family time together. You can sit down, at the same time every week. But now, because of the fact that we can watch what we want when we want, that means you don’t have to sacrifice other aspects of your life. If you can make a date to sit down at least once a week, to watch their favorite TV show, and to have a discussion about it afterward, this is a very simple way for you to bond. But you have to show willing; it’s not good enough to just be sat there next to them. As parents, we can easily pay lip service to the idea of quality time, just by being sat next to them. But if we get out our phones, there is no sense of engagement, and while you can argue that sitting together in silence watching the TV is just as bad, at least you are both sharing a common activity.
Can The TV Say Something That You Can’t?
We can struggle to verbalize how we feel now and again especially when it comes to matters of the heart. This is where television can do a lot for us. Have you ever sat with a parent or loved one, and saw a tender moment on the TV and it really hit close to home? You might have felt a moment between the two of you at that point, but you didn’t say a word. TV can help us to say what we’re really thinking, not just in terms of emotions, but in terms of what you might want for your children as they get older. For example, if you want your children to have confidence and belief in their abilities, the words that come out of your mouth may seem forced or a bit noncommittal. But by using a TV show as an example to back up your statement of intent, that little box in the corner of the room can fill some of the gaps in your parenting skills.
A lot of people put their kids in front of the TV as a way to distract them and placate them. But, as a family unit, we can use the TV to advantage, whether it’s to educational shows, or by helping our kids to differentiate between good and bad, but also to spend quality time with them bonding over certain shows. It seems that now as we can go and watch movies on our devices, this idea of a solidified family unit is non-existent. This is why the TV should take pride of place in the corner of your living room because it can do so much for every member of your family. The idiot box? Hardly.
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Families come in every size and form. You might be living with older family members and looking after them after their health has let them down. You might have your children and grandchildren in your family. It is also possible that you joined forces with your new partner and are now living in a mixed family. No matter if you are trying to get generations or step-siblings to get on well, you will have to make sure that you are investing in bonding exercises that will promote respect and harmony in the family. Below you will find seven tips to get started.
Whenever you are taking the kids for a day out, you need to invite other family members, too. The more the merrier, and older people enjoy a walk in the park just like little ones. You will have to pick the location to suit everyone in the family, and find something to do for every person to do. You can get different generations to bond together and have fun, while creating memories for a lifetime. You should not simply accept your elderly parents’ excuses to stay at home; get them to help with teaching the kids how to prepare the picnic basket, at least.
Nights In with a Movie
New and newly bonded families can set up a home movie schedule and have a night in with a pizza or takeaway. Whether you would like to get people to vote for a number of movies to watch on Netflix or Blue Ray or are open for suggestions and debates, it will be a great night. Not to mention that you will also save a lot of money by not paying too much for your popcorn and your drinks. Put the money aside so you can plan a trip to the park or a getaway as a family.
If you would like your kids to be self-sufficient when they go to college and avoid living on pot noodles and burgers for years, it might be time to introduce them to the kitchen and the different appliances. It is never too early to teach your kids to cook simple foods; toasted sandwiches, pasta, or even pizza for the night out. Have one night allocated for cooking together, and you will see how confident your kids become in the kitchen.
Gaming
Of course, playing brings every generation together. If you have just joined another family and are now trying to get the kids to bond together, you will have to create a gaming competition at home. Find out which video games are their favorites, and ask someone to be the judge. Once you have the night arranged, you will see that the conversations between teenager are becoming less awkward.
Family Shows
If you would like to celebrate being a family, you might even arrange going to the theatre together to watch a family show. Whether it is Christmas or someone’s birthday, you can find a nearby restaurant where you can have a family meal before going to the theatre. This will also teach your kids the rules of getting dressed up for special occasions. Look for romantic or family friendly shows, such as the Waitress and have something to look forward to together.
Sport Events
It might also be a good plan to get people to enjoy a live sport game together. The laid back atmosphere of the event will create a stronger bond. No matter if you are basketball or football fans, or are supporting different teams or sports, you will all have a lot of fun at the match.
Once you have a new family structure in place, a lot of things need to be taken care of before you would be able to feel comfortable. If you are into DIY, you can teach the little ones a trick or two. Alternatively, if you are moving an elderly family member in your home, you can ask them to teach your kids some great skills, such as crocheting or knitting, maybe embroidery. Even if you don’t have time to pass on the skills, you can give your older family members a sense of belonging and purpose.
When families change and join together, it is important that you change the routines and help everyone settle in their own roles. Use the above bonding exercises to help your family become a well-functioning unit and learn to respect each other.
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Happiness is the greatest gift that any employee can possess. But, with increasing competition in industry, as well as tighter regulations, as an employer, you can feel the pinch in so many ways. We all know the devastating impact of a sour workplace atmosphere, it leads to lots of whispers, and the rumor mill inevitably builds up. In addition to this, your business could be going through a tough time, which is why you need to ensure that your employees are happy, healthy, and have an attitude to work that is productive but also contributes to a positive workplace culture. What can you do to make sure that your employees stay on the right side of the tracks in this respect?
Clarity Avoids Confusion
It’s often discussed, the benefits of transparency and communication. Clarity, in every aspect, makes for a happier workplace. From how you deal with your employees on a personal level, all the way through to simplifying complex jargon that turns up in employee contracts. In fact, contract drafting is a fine art, and while you need to remain firmly on the legal side, when stating your intent with your employees, especially if you are working with them in a freelance capacity, it’s important to ensure that everything is as transparent as possible on paper. There are infinite resources relating to this, and drafting attorney Andrew Weisblatt and his explanation of contract drafting is one of the many professional resources you can go to. The contract, as well as the communication, needs to be clear.
Don’t View Them As “Only Workers”
Once you get into this frame of mind, it’s very difficult to back pedal. As a leader, your enjoyment of bossing people around begins to take center stage, and the great divide presents itself. Instead, look to moving forward as a team. Don’t view them as just workers who are there to do your bidding. This is a sure-fire way for them to jump ship, so, work at congealing your relationships. This can be done, not just by an open door policy, but also, by focusing on more prominent values. From the work-life balance to the most basic of perks, they all add up to a happier environment.
Take A Step Back
You can be so preoccupied with the business side of things, that you can completely avoid the overall human impact. You might find yourself calculating how much money you’ve wasted in a particular day due to downtime, but this isn’t healthy. Remember, lead by example, and if you are a stressed out person, this ill feeling will easily transfer to your employees. Instead, take a step back, assess the situation, but also, work at making yourself a better person. Relaxation, mindfulness or anything that makes you feel rejuvenated is a major asset to the company.
We don’t have to walk around with smiles fixed onto our faces, but if there are very obvious reasons why morale is low, or productivity is down, you should work hard at happiness. Content workers can complete tasks better. And you may have a pool of talented employees, but if they aren’t working their best, the onus is on you to fix this, not to place blame on them.
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Losing your hearing can be a horrible thing at any age. You suddenly can’t listen to your favourite music anymore and you can struggle to hear what your friends and family are saying to you. It can be easy to become antisocial when you are hard of hearing, however this can be damaging to your friendships and relationships with people as a whole. Here are some ways to make sure that you don’t struggle with your social skills when you are hard of hearing.
Use technology
You can use lots of helpful technology such as a hearing aid to make sure you can still listen and join in with conversations with the people you love. You can use adjusting hearing aids to make sure that you can always stay part of the conversation and that you are never left out of anything.
Use visual aids
When you can’t hear as well as you would like to, you might need to start using visual cues to make deciphering what others are saying a little bit easier. Even if you don’t lose your hearing completely it can be helpful to learn sign language for watching your favourite TV programs, and you can learn how to read lips so that you always know what people are trying to talk to you about even if you can hear small fragments of it already. Visual cues can be a lifesaver for those who cannot hear every well so make sure that you take the time to learn some of them.
Network with similar people
If you are hard of hearing and you are struggling to cope with it all, you can actually help make a difference by networking with other people who are also hard of hearing. You will find that you make some great new friends by attending different events and meeting with other people who struggle with hearing and you will also likely be able to gain some tips and tricks to make your life easier in the future.
Stay online
If you struggle with your hearing it might be much easier for you to stay online and use things such as social media to stay in touch with you family and your friends. It can be a great tool to use because you can still talk to people without having to make phone calls and it will make it easier for you to stay in the loop with your family and things which are going on in other people’s lives.
It’s okay to be independent
If hearing loss makes you be more solitary and independent, there isn’t anything with that. The loss of your hearing might force you to be more independent as a person and this might actually make you feel so much more strong as a result. You don’t have to rely on the help of others, however you should at least make sure that you stay connected with your friends and your family for the best possible life.
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There is no denying that teenagers can be extremely lazy at times. I’m sure you will already know this yourself from living with your child! Teenagers are notoriously late sleepers, and you might have trouble trying to wake yours up before midday at the weekends and during holidays. Plus, when they do eventually wake up, teens are hardly the most motivated people on the planet. Most will just want to laze around watching TV, scrolling through their smartphone, or playing games consoles. When they do leave the house it might just be to go to the mall or to hang out with their friends. Because of this very lazy and self-centered behavior, many parents worry about who their teenagers will cope once they finally enter the adult world and need to find a job.
Thankfully, though, teenagers still have plenty of motivation in them to do well. It’s just that they are more inclined to be lazy as they don’t have any real responsibilities yet, and don’t need to ever push themselves too hard. But there is plenty that you can do to change it. You will find that by motivating them yourself, they should find all of the motivation that has been hiding inside them.
Ready to ignite a fire in your teens and inspire them to do as well as they can? Here are some ways you can successfully motivate them without hearing too many moans from them!
I’ve already mentioned that teenagers can be ever so slightly self-centered. That’s just because most of them haven’t learnt the benefits and advantages that come with doing things for others. So, if you want to persuade your teen to do or achieve something, you need to point out that it is going to be worth it for them in the long run. For instance, you should explain that they always need to work hard at school and try to aim for high grades so that they have a better chance of getting into the University Of California or a similar well-established educational institution after high school. Something else that many parents struggle to motivate their teens to do is to find a weekend job so that they can start earning a bit of cash before they head off to college. Obviously, they will get something out of working – a wage! You just need to remind them that they will finally have their own income, even if it is only quite small, but they will still be able to spend it on what they want or save for a special purchase.
It is really important that you listen to your teenager’s views. After all, they are almost adults and will have plenty of their own opinions. Even if they clash with your own, you should still listen to their ideas and views to see if you can come to some kind of compromise or understanding. Hopefully, you won’t need to come to too much of a compromise when you are trying to encourage and motivate them, though! But you should always listen to them or else you might find that they don’t take too kindly to your requests or advice. If you just tell them to do something because you say so, you might find that they hit back against this. This will create a very demotivating environment, which is of course the last thing you want to do. One of the best things that you can do is to sit down with your teen and to discuss what it is you want to encourage them to do and all of the benefits that will be associated with it. By treating them like adults and discussing all of the reasons why they should do something, such as study hard at high school, they will feel like they are being respected and that they will also be able to have a say in how things pan out from now. They might even have a few suggestions as to how you can help them achieve their goals too!
Teenagers have terrible memories. This isn’t just a bad stereotype that people have made up about them – there is actually some science that backs it up! Teenagers’ bodies are constantly changing, and this is all because of the changing levels of hormones as they grow and develop into adults. If you remember that your teens are likely to be quite forgetful, you can then alter how you try and motivate them to take this into consideration. So, it is always worth writing down plans and to-do lists. That way, there is no way they will forget anything that they need to do in order to achieve their goals and targets. You might find that creating a routine for them also helps them to set things in their mind. If your teens are really into their tech, you might want to get them to set certain reminders in their apps and tablet devices.
Make Them Learn From Mistakes And Failure
It can be very difficult to achieve a goal or target without encountering any failure or making any mistakes at all. There are always going to be ups and downs in life, after all, and these are just things that we need to deal with. As your teen might not have encountered too much failure in their life to start with, and they might find that their first few failures and mistakes are difficult to cope with. You can help them get over them, thankfully. All you need to do is inform them that these are great learning opportunities. Once your teen has learned from a certain mistake, they can be sure not to make it again in the future!
You should always try and add some fun when you are trying to motivate your teenager! This will give them a better chance of responding well to everything that you try and do for them. If your teens know that they are going to have plenty of fun, they will be easier to get out of bed in the morning and will be more willing to turn off the TV and get active. Lots of teenagers, especially boys, respond exceptionally well to competition. So, if it is at all possible, you might want to try and add a competitive side to all the things they need to do to achieve their goals. Even if they don’t have anyone who they can compete against, they can always try and better themselves. Sometimes, there is nothing better than trying to compete against ourselves!
If there are no incentives at all, then your teen may be very reluctant to try and work hard in order to better themselves. So, you should put some clear incentives in place for them to work towards. This is especially important when certain tasks won’t necessarily result in a big outcome that your teen can be proud of. If you just want your child to try and do better in high school, then you might want to set them a target of achieving certain grades at the end of the year or in their next report card. If they do, then you might want to buy them a gift or take them for a meal at their favorite restaurant.
So, how will you motivate your teen to do well in life?
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Something that is likely to be a concern for all of us at some point in our lives is when it comes time to take care of an elderly relative. This can happen at any point, and in some circumstances it could be quite sudden. But however it happens, when you feel the need to step up you can be sure that it can be quite a nerve-wracking experience. Nonetheless, it is necessary to do whatever needs to be done, and that means having a clear idea of what that actually is. For most people, this means something of a learning curve needs to take place, but you can make it at least a little easier on yourself too by taking a look at the following. Here are some of the major things to prepare yourself or if you are suddenly about to take care of your elderly relatives.
Whatever the underlying cause, there are a number of extremely common problems which come hand-in-hand with old age, and the more aware of them you are, the better prepared you will be to deal with the as they arise. One is hearing loss, which can be frustrating for everyone involved and surprisingly upsetting for the individual in question. You should get their hearing tested and make sure to get them a hearing aid if necessary. This will make things easier for everyone. You might also have to deal with the gradual onset of dementia, which can be particularly upsetting, especially if you are close to them. However, again, with the right care you can make it a little easier on everyone involved.
The Nursing Home
At some point there is bound to come the inevitable question of whether it is time to try and find them a good home to live in. This can be one of the most upsetting situations of all, and it is something which you need to deal with sensitively and in the right manner. That being said, once it is clearly time for that to happen you should make sure that you are not delaying by too long, as that could lead to further problems than if you go too quickly. Choosing the home itself can be difficult. If you take a look at https://www.riddlevillage.com you will see that there are many good qualities which you should expect from a home, and it’s important to make sure that you check all of the home’s in your area thoroughly.
At times you will need to get help from the medical experts, and when that happens don’t try to do those things yourself. It is always best to allow the professionals to carry out medical procedures of any kind, no matter how simple they might appear to be. Unless you are directed by someone to do something, be sure to leave it alone. And make sure you are getting all the help you need – there is no need for you to struggle when the help is readily available.
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It doesn’t matter how often you’ve heard that business and emotions don’t mix. In truth, they do. Emotions are a crucial part of each business transaction for the excellent reason that you can’t buy without creating a trust bond. In the Chinese culture, for instance, there can be no business discussion with new partners or clients without first establishing a personal relationship between parties. For many who are not used to working with China-based companies, the approach appears like a waste of time, but ultimately there is a real need for buyers and sellers to understand how emotions affect a transaction. Indeed, the correlation between emotional engagement and finances is often used as a joke – don’t we all know the story of a shopaholic who responds to crisis with a trip down the shopping mall – but the better you understand the principles of emotional purchase, the better you can control financially unhealthy urges – or encourage them if you’re a seller.
The ‘OMG I need this so much right now’ shopping: All emotions, no financial sense
According to Ryan Howell, PhD at Psychology Today, emotional and compulsive shoppers shop in response to negative emotions, whether it’s stress, anger, low self-esteem or even anxiety. Ina society where the consumerist message conveys that shopping equals happiness, it’s easy for individuals to internalize the message in their everyday lives. As a result, feelings such as instant gratification, escapism and social competition dictate a lot of purchases. But more importantly, they can also create significant debts and financial stress, which can lead to further emotional shopping. The good news is that you can get a handle on emotional spending through budget strategy and digital detox.
Surprisingly, cars are the least emotionally involved purchase
We love cars. In fact, for a lot of people, the car is an extension of your personality. As a result, it’s natural to think that buying a car is an emotional decision. In reality, most buyers narrow down their research through finance-based criteria from price with Bob Ford inventory priced to sell to age – we all know that old vehicles have high maintenance needs. From the selection that matches their requirements, the last choice is often an emotional one, namely defining which car they prefer out of a carefully selected list of vehicles.
You buy a house with all your heart and all your brain
Buying a house is both a financial and emotional investment. It’s not only, for most homeowners, the place that ties them up to a mortgage, but it’s also the place where they can watch their family grow. In other words, if you’re selling your house, you need to understand how to address financial and emotional arguments best. For instance, a lot of buyers can pass on an otherwise fantastic property because they dislike the seller’s attitude. Similarly, bringing too many personal decor touches in display can discourage buyers to imagine what the house would be like if it were theirs. The secret is to manage the balance between a well-maintained property and a cozy but not overwhelming home feeling.
In short, shopping is a rollercoaster of emotions. From stress relief to feeling at home, your emotions guide your decisions. But don’t let them get hold of your credit card!
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Accidents happen all the time but somehow we never think that they will happen to us. While you might take every precaution when driving or at work, you simply can’t predict what other people might do. Worse, there’s nothing you can do to prevent a loved one getting caught in an accident.
Though accidents are never pleasant, you can help make the aftermath much easier for your loved one. While they may struggle to make any real decisions about their care or not know whether they can get compensation or how to get it, you can step in to make sure that they get the best treatment and care possible.
Choose the Right Hospital
If your loved one requires surgery after their accident, you should look at which hospital will be right for them. Contrary to what you might think, the right hospital may not be a world-famous teaching hospital but a smaller rural hospital with excellent ratings. When you are helping them choose where to go, have a look at the data produced by the hospitals and don’t be mislead by advertising.
Surgery can be quite scary so another factor you should think of is how close you will be to the hospital. If you need to travel and stay in a hotel close-by this will add a lot to your expense whereas if you can choose somewhere closer to home you will be more comfortable.
Get a Lawyer’s Advice
In many cases, where there is an accident, there is someone at fault. Perhaps the accident was at work where someone did not perform their due diligence or maybe your loved one was in a road accident on our ever more dangerous roads. Whatever it was, it is worth contacting a lawyer to see if you could claim compensation – especially to pay for earnings, necessary surgeries and other damages.
If you have a family lawyer, you could contact them for a recommendation, otherwise you should search for a lawyer with plenty of experience in dealing with your type of case. For example, if your loved one was hit by a drunk driver, you might contact a practice with lots of experience dealing with drunk driving injuries as listed under our practice areas.
Be There No Matter What
As your loved one recovers and life returns to your more regular routines, it is important that you also watch out for mental health issues that may appear or flare up. Post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety may all appear after an accident. The sooner you notice and start treating a mental health condition, the easier it will be to recover from.
After finding the best professionals to help support and fight for your loved one, the very best thing you can do is be there for them. Having an accident can be terrifying and recovery is an isolated process in many cases. Just knowing that you will come and visit as well as hold their hand through the hard bits will make all the difference in the world.
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A serious injury can change everything. A split second and suddenly your whole life is set on a new course – and not necessarily one you would have planned for yourself. Rebuilding your life at any time is always going to be a challenge but with time you can create a new life for yourself that will be happy and fulfilled.
After any life-altering accident, the first thing you and your family should be thinking about is getting help. Though there is a lot of work for you to do yourself over time, a law company like Finkelstein, Meirowitz & Eidlisz, LLP will be invaluable to you in getting compensation and making financial arrangements. At such a stressful time, having a professional who can guide you through the necessary processes will make a huge difference.
Once you have someone on your side dealing with the practicalities, you should focus on rebuilding your life. Taking it one day at a time, your main job right now is to recover as best you can and to turn your attention to the future.
Talking to Your Friends and Family
It is no understatement to say that we all rely upon our friends and family. They are there for us through thick and thin, ready to lend an ear to our troubles and do everything they can to make us feel better. This is even more true after an accident and your family are vital to getting you through tough times.
Suddenly suffering a disabling injury can make you feel isolated in your experience. It’s unlikely that your friends and family can completely empathize with what you are going through, but they do know and empathize with you. Talk your troubles through with them, let them be there for you and be honest about how you feel. While putting on a brave face might be easier in the short term, eventually, you are going to have to face your problems sooner or later.
Taking Care of Your Mental Health
While you are busy focusing on your physical recovery, it is easy to lose sight of your mental health. Depression is common after suffering a life-altering injury and you should be aware of any significant mood swings or intense emotions. There is never any shame in feeling depressed or anxious, especially in these conditions and it is important that you talk to your doctor about what you are feeling as well as your physical progress.
Over time you are likely to work through the 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Having your family and friends around you as you work through your emotions will help you to get through this difficult time. Talking about how you feel will allow you to understand and reframe issues to find either a solution or a way to accept what has happened. It takes time, but you will get there.
Finding New Meaning
Everyone has existential doubts and for some of us, the anxiety of finding a purpose or meaning in life can be damaging. After an accident, especially one that has had life-altering consequences, it is perfectly normal for you to experience your own bout of existential doubt.
When you have had change forced upon you, it can be difficult to let go of the life you had before and figure out a way of living now.
The good news is that because all humans have this type of doubt at some point, everyone you talk to will understand broadly what you are experiencing. Plus, as doubt tends to force us to rethink our choices and make different decisions, you already have all you need to find a new purpose or meaning in your life, even if it is far from your original idea.
Instead of focusing on what you have lost, try to think about the things you still have and what you can do. It is easy to get sucked into the negative, especially when you are having to learn how to cope with lasting injuries such as amputations or severe damage. Try congratulating yourself on any progress, however small it is and do more of the things that make you happy. Watch movies, listen to music, read books – whatever it is, make happiness your main goal for now and everything else will follow.
Moving On
For a while, the only thing on your mind will be your recovery. You will notice every change, worry about how you may be affected and be consumed with the emotional fall out of your injuries. This is completely normal and given how much change there is for you to process, it makes sense that you will need time to come to terms with your new life.
However, there will come a time, no matter how long it takes, when you will begin to think about other things. Your future won’t seem so scary and you will be able to think more clearly about what you can do with your life. A major part of finding new meaning is figuring out how you want to spend your time. This sounds like a big deal, but it isn’t really. Take things one day at a time, then maybe start planning a little further ahead. Gradually, you won’t think so much about what has happened because you will start thinking more about what is happening now and what going to happen.
In other words, you will move on.
Rebuilding your life will always take time, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. You can work towards building a brighter future for yourself with the help of your friends and family, legal professionals who can promote your case, the doctors who will work tirelessly to improve your condition and with your own determination.
You have been the victim of fate, but don’t let that get in the way of who you can be. Remember how lucky you are and be grateful for something every day, even if it is just that it hasn’t rained. You can do it. You know you can.
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