While an unexpected injury may cause pain and reduced mobility, it can also impact your psychological health. Adjusting to challenges created by your injury may trigger illnesses including depression and anxiety.
When you understand the various stages of injury recovery, you may feel more prepared to tackle the unexpected. Additionally, you may have a clearer picture of the resources you can use to facilitate your recuperation.
Shock and denial
An unanticipated injury could disrupt your independence and reliability, as well as your personal and professional relationships. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, unexpected injuries account for 24.5 million visits to the emergency room in the United States every year. The feelings of disbelief that accompany a painful and life-changing injury may last for weeks or even months.
You may deny reality and find yourself bargaining, unrealistically wishing you could return to your pre-injury life. These feelings of shock and denial are both normal and expected. However, lingering in these phases for too long can cause ongoing angst which may lead to severe mental illness.
Acceptance and adjustment
As time passes, you may feel more open to the idea of living with your injury. This phase, acceptance, is where you may start to feel hopeful. Drawing upon the resources available to you, adjusting to your injury may seem less overwhelming.
Unexpected injuries resulting from another’s negligence may increase feelings of anger. You may choose to hire a legal professional to advocate for you in getting compensation. You still deserve to live a happy and fulfilling life despite the challenges created as the result of another person’s reckless behavior.