Useful Ways To Adapt For Better Mental Health

The distress brought by mobility impairment among individuals with disabilities can affect their well-being. They are more likely to display mental health issues such as depression. Other psychological effects of physical disabilities include blaming and frustrations. Long-lasting blame and frustration can be detrimental to mental health, causing difficulty adapting to life demands. Let’s discuss a pathway to better mental health…

Factors that can help in adaptation for better mental health

1. Create a new meaning of the disability
   The perception of disability can affect the adaptation process of people with disabilities. Distorted perception of disability can hamper progress and promotes maladaptive behavior. Creating a new meaning about the disability and accepting these new sets of views can be helpful in the adaptation process. Reducing also the negative meaning and strengthening the positive appraisal of disability lead to more adaptive coping.
2. Practice self-forgiveness
   Forgiveness can be a powerful tool in achieving positive psychological results. Forgiveness means resolving the negative emotions associated with the disability, appraising the disability more positively, and focusing on possibilities instead of ruminating about unavoidable factors. Forgiving oneself is finding a new purpose in life and being compassionate and accepting towards weaknesses. It also includes seeing beyond the disability, transforming the experience from negative to neutral or positive, and living a more meaningful life.
3. Accept disability
   Acceptance of disability involves value change and adjustment, perceiving losses from disability not as a reflection of weakness but as additional strength. Through acceptance, people with disabilities cope with their disability using other adaptive methods aside from avoidance. It allows them to accept that chronic consequences are unavoidable, but they could learn how to cope and live with them. Accepting the disability leads to higher self-esteem, better coping, and well-being.

If you’d like one on one mental wellness support, please reach out and we can put you in touch with the right people.

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REFERENCES: Byra, S., Mróz, J., & Kaleta, K. (2020). Forgiveness and acceptance of disability in people with traumatic spinal cord injury—the mediating role of disability appraisal. A cross-sectional study. Spinal Cord, 58(12), 1317-1324.

Morozova, E. V., Shmeleva, S. V., Sorokoumova, E. A., Nikishina, V. B., & Abdalina, L. V. (2015). Acceptance of disability: determinants of overcoming social frustration. Global journal of health science, 7(3), 317.

Zemestani, M., & Mozaffari, S. (2020). Acceptance and commitment therapy for the treatment of depression in persons with physical disability: a randomized controlled trial. Clinical Rehabilitation, 34(7), 938-947.