Tips for Coping: Words of Wisdom from Parents, Teens and Families
Coping with the stresses of a child's chronic illness, having a child admitted to the hospital for the first time or surviving the teens can be extremely difficult.
Tips for Coping
Here are some words of wisdom gathered from experienced parents, teens and families at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center:
- "You're not alone."
- "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change."
- "You might not get over it but you will get through it."
- "It's not important who started a problem, what's important is what you do about it."
- "Recognize that a child in crisis means a family in crisis. Seek and accept all the help you can get for your child, yourself and your family. Getting an accurate diagnosis is the first step to healing and recovery. Let your child know that he or she has a treatable, physiological disease. Utilize all the services the treatment team and Cincinnati Children's extend you. Be kind to yourself and do not blame yourself or others. Celebrate your child's strengths and know there is hope and there is help." (From a mother whose daughter was hospitalized and is now a college student successfully managing her bipolar disorder)
- "Healing takes place when we build awareness, when we acknowledge the disorder, when we accept the diagnosis and embrace therapy (sessions and medication). I've come to see accurate diagnoses as a gift. Healing takes place when we share our story. Only then may we come to peace." (From a college graduate in her twenties, successfully managing her diagnosed generalized anxiety disorder)
- "Find your passion. Pursue it. It is the key to happiness."
Words of Wisdom from Famous People
Until we are willing to talk about our children and our families publicly, America's tragic failure to care for its mentally ill children will continue. It is up to us; no one else can fight for them as fiercely as we can.
Paul Raeburn, parent and author who shares his family's candid and poignant account of their journey to mental health in Acquainted with the Night
You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
Mahatma Gandhi
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
Confucius
Everyone has an invisible sign hanging from his or her neck saying 'Make me feel important'. Never forget this when you deal with people.
Mary Kay
Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without words and never stops at all.
Emily Dickinson
