Mental Health

Loneliness and chronic illness

Loneliness and chronic illness

People associate loneliness with elderly people living alone, perhaps after their partner passes away but patients with a chronic illness are another group that also experience loneliness, if you feel ill all the time you tend to stay at home and this can cause social isolation.

Coping with life after lockdown

Coping with life after lockdown

For over a year a lot of us have dreamt of meeting up with friends and being social again but now that time is starting to arrive are we all ready to mix with others again? Whilst the idea of a return to a so-called ‘normal’ is exciting for some people, it’s frightening for others, even those of us that would usually be considered ‘confident’.

Spring clean your mind and body

Spring clean your mind and body

Spring is the season of renewal and regeneration, the weather is getting warmer and flowers are starting to bloom. It makes us want to fling the windows open and let the fresh air in again, hopefully we’ll also all start to emerge from our houses again. So Spring is also a good time to think about doing that with your mind and body.

Benefits of having a pet when you have Lupus

Benefits of having a pet when you have Lupus

For some people, like me, pets are quite simply a lifeline, it’s no wonder that an estimated 41% of UK households have pets.

Speak to any pet owner and they’ll reel off an endless list of ways their pets have changed their lives. They can be our best friend and, for a patient with chronic illness, a furry friend can provide much more than companionship and cuddles. Studies show that animals can help with everything from lowering stress and blood pressure, to battling depression and helping with chronic pain.

Coping with isolation - Coronavirus

Coping with isolation - Coronavirus

There are going to be people such as lupus patients who are going to self isolate, we don’t really have much choice as for us it might be a matter of life or death.

For some people this can be stressful and difficult. It’s already recognised that social isolation is one of our biggest killers so we should take as many steps as we can to make this as tolerable as possible.