It’s no secret that vitiligo can affect you emotionally. Living with vitiligo every day can leave you feeling discouraged, stressed or even depressed. It is natural to have mixed feelings and experience highs and lows. The most important problem-solving skill for self-care is learning how to recognize and react to vitiligo. The key is to recognize heaps of emotions as normal and taking steps to reduce the negative impact they could have on your health and life.
Your doctor may help you develop the skills to identify what is good and what is bad in vitiligo. But, at the end of the day, it’s you who will have to fight it back emotionally. There are large numbers of ways to cope with the upsets in the life, but not all of them are good for your health (smoking, overeating or avoiding people and social gatherings). Even skipping healthy meals, taking sleeping pills or drinking too much alcohol would do nothing, but make you feel terrible. So, how do you remain positive and keep negative thoughts at bay? Well, here’s how.
Open up
Sometimes, just talking about a problem will help you solve it. This is why; you need to talk about your emotions with friends, family, or your doctor. Develop and nurture partnerships with your loved ones. If possible, join a vitiligo support group (online or offline) where you can meet and relate to people who are going through the same experiences.
Stay positive
Recognize the power of positive thinking so whenever you are feeling down, think about the moments of successes to feel good about the progress you’ve made in life—even if it’s just a little bit. Look at the chronic skin disorder differently. There are 7 Lessons you can learn from Your Vitiligo
Eat well
It takes a little time and experience to figure out how your diet affects your health. Make eating healthy food a habit. Limit your alcohol consumption and whenever you do drink alcoholic beverages, don’t drink on an empty stomach. Hunger can often result in mood swings in vitiligo. So, don’t go more than 5 hours without eating during your waking hours.
Stick to your treatment
There are several types of medications that are often recommended during vitiligo treatment. Ask your doctors to help you fit your medication routine into your daily schedule. If you often forget to take your medication, remind yourself by linking it to a specific activity—like watching the news every night or brushing your teeth. Setting an alarm on your watch or cell phone is always a wise thing to do. When traveling, never forget to keep supplies with you.
Consult an expert
Your medications come with specific instructions for use—and they can affect your body differently depending on when and how you take them. Tell your pharmacist, doctor, nurse practitioner, or health coach if you’ve noticed any side effects
Some over-the-counter products, supplements, or natural remedies can interfere with the effectiveness of your prescribed medicines. Tell your doctor about any supplements you are taking so that he/she can make the best recommendations for your care.
Do what you enjoy
Find time to do something pleasurable every day. Physical activity can influence your mood. If you are sad, anxious, stressed or upset, go for a walk, stand up and stretch, or take a bicycle ride. If you enjoy listening to music, here are 10 Songs that can help you embrace positivity in Vitiligo.
