Regardless of our career choice, favorite hobbies, and general interests, all humans have one thing in common — a desire to live meaningful and productive lives. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always go as planned. We may know exactly what we want to accomplish one minute, but all of a sudden everything is turned on its head and we need to adapt and reevaluate what’s important to us. 

A COPD diagnosis is just one of these life-changing events that can throw a wrench in your plans and make you question whether or not you’ll ever be able to accomplish the things you’ve set out to do. And with around 9 million Americans being diagnosed with this disease every year, you’re by no means alone in feeling this way.

COPD is a debilitating disease, meaning it impairs your physical abilities and makes you feel fatigued or restless more easily than someone without the disease. Since COPD involves inflammation of the lungs, the simple task of breathing can use up to 10 times more calories in COPD patients and even moderate physical activity can leave you feeling winded and light headed.

What’s more, there are the psychological effects of coping with a chronic condition. Many people will feel guilty about their COPD diagnosis, believing that if they had made different lifestyle choices, they wouldn’t have contracted the disease. Or they may experience anxiety about their increased dependency on a loved one or friend. 

All of these things can weigh down on you and make it really difficult to focus on leading a fulfilling and meaningful life. Whether you’ve just been diagnosed with COPD or you’ve been coping with it for a while, we’re going to give you some tips for getting back on track and letting your COPD symptoms empower you instead of bringing you down.

Set Goals For Yourself

Chances are, you’ve been setting goals for yourself your whole life whether you know it or not. Goals are what propel us forward and drive us to accomplish things that we never thought were possible. The problem with COPD or any chronic condition that can take an emotional toll on someone is that it can distract you from setting goals.

Some people see themselves as more of a passive goal setter, meaning they may be self-aware of their goals, but they may not write them down or talk about them frequently. On the other hand, some people are much more engaged with their goal setting. These “active” goal setters likely write down their short-term and long-term goals, prioritize them, and discuss them with friends often.

Regardless of what type of goal setter you are, what matters is that you have them. People who set goals lead more fulfilling lives because they have a sense of direction and they are able to report to themselves and others on how far they’ve come which can be very rewarding. 

Reevaluate Your Goals 

It’s only natural that when your circumstances change, so to do your goals. The first step towards living a more fulfilling life with COPD is to revisit your goals and decide what to keep and what to get rid of. For some people, this may mean changing all their goals while for others it may mean making little or no changes.

Your long-term goals are a good place to start because they’re the most important and they’re dependent on the success you have with your short-term goals. Start by asking yourself what limitations COPD has set for you. Has your respiratory condition prevented you from exercising the way you used to? Has it prevented you from visiting with friends or participating in a club that you enjoy?

Reevaluating your goals doesn’t mean giving up the things that you love to do. Instead, it could mean changing how you do them or the mindset that you approach them with. For example, if you have enjoyed exercising and staying in shape your whole life, all of this is possible with COPD, but you’ll need to be smart about the way you go about it. 

As such, your goal could be to work with a doctor or respiratory health specialist to solidify an exercise plan that accommodates your disabilities. Once this is done, you can start to set goals for yourself again within the scope of your disease. Reevaluating your diet and the way you eat can also help you achieve these long-term goals.

Become an Active Goal Setter

Becoming an active goal setter means becoming more mentally and emotionally involved in the goals you set. This means you won’t simply be setting a goal and having it on the backburner every day you wake up; it means writing down your goals and making them a part of you. Active goal setters are usually seen as more motivated or “intense” because they have a clear vision of what they want their life to be like and will go to the ends of the earth to make it happen.

Writing down your goals is usually the best place to start. Try thinking of three long-term goals that you would like to accomplish within the next year or two. Although you should be ambitious with your goals, make sure they are attainable and realistic. Once you’ve done that, write down all of the short-term goals that you’ll need to do in order to accomplish your long-term ones. Now all you have to do is focus on accomplishing those short-term goals and begin checking them off one-by-one. 

Another part of becoming an active goal setter is making others aware of your goals. The great thing about friends and family members being aware of your goals is that they will hold you accountable for them. If you quit discussing your goals or it seems like you’re falling behind on them, they will ask you about them and may help you achieve them if you’re struggling.

Focus On Relationships

While having goals and accomplishing them as an individual is important, it pales in comparison to the sense of purpose we feel when connecting to those around us. According to Psychology Today, one of the single most important factors to happiness is healthy relationships and this is no different for someone suffering with COPD. 

Aside from helping you achieve your goals, friends and family are there to support you through thick and thin, and putting them at the center of your life will do you a world of good. Some people may find it best to work on improving relationships they currently have, while others will want to focus on creating new relationships.

Understanding Give and Take

With any good relationship, there’s always a give and take. What this means is that both people in the relationship are doing their part. Unfortunately, many people with COPD or other chronic conditions get into a mindset that nothing they do will provide value to the relationship and that their friends or family simply become caretakers. 

Fortunately, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. There are many things that someone with COPD can do to provide value to their relationships. First and foremost, being emotionally available and communicative will show the person that you want a relationship with them and that you’re not just relying on them for support. Even people who aren’t coping with a chronic disease experience daily struggles and anything you can do to help them with that can give you a greater sense of purpose in your relationship and in your life.

One great thing you can do daily is to volunteer in your community or be an active mentor to someone in your life. According to the Atlanta Homecare Partners, tutoring kids at a nearby school or putting together a care package for someone abroad are great ways to enrich your life and give something back to people you care about. You can even work on putting together a scrapbook or video on your family history so that the next generation is more enriched and can pass these stories onto their children. Try to use your imagination and come up with something that's important to your and those around you, then go for it!

Another part of "give and take" is knowing that asking for help is not a burden on those you love. In fact, many relationship experts would suggest that asking for favors is actually a good way to build a relationship and show someone that they’re valued. Either way, being open about the challenges you’re facing will build stronger relationships. 

Meet Like-Minded People 

Although relationships with family members are something you can always work on, sometimes finding new friendships is what will benefit you most. For someone coping with a chronic lung disease, finding unique friendships is especially important. While friends and family will do their best to understand what you’re going through, other people with COPD will be able to relate to you a lot more. What’s more, you’ll be able to exchange tips for dealing with your lung condition which can always help you in the long term. 

There are a couple places you can meet people with COPD, one of them being online forums like COPD360social by the COPD Foundation. Pulmonary rehabilitation classes are also a great place to meet lifelong friends while simultaneously improving your COPD symptoms. 

Follow Your Treatment Plan

COPD is a respiratory condition that can’t be cured, but that doesn’t mean that its symptoms can’t be drastically reduced. By following the treatment plan that your doctor has set for you as closely as possible, you will be able to feel much better and focus your physical and mental energy on enjoying life rather than coping with challenging symptoms.

Diet

Your diet has a huge impact on not just your respiratory health, but your overall well-being. Maintaining a poor or unbalanced diet can lead to anxiety, affect mood, and interfere with your enjoyment of life. And if you have COPD, this can make it even more difficult to deal with your symptoms. 

What’s more, as a COPD patient, your diet is already much more restricted than the diets of people without COPD. You need to cut back significantly on salt, certain fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and fried foods. If you’d like to learn more, read our blog titled 11 Foods You Should Avoid With COPD.

Exercise

Exercise is important for COPD patients because it helps them retain their lung function as long as possible while preventing exacerbations. According to studies published in the American Thoracic Society Journal, exercise leads to a significant improvement in dyspnea (shortness of breath), functional capacity, and a reduced need for hospitalization.  

Another benefit of exercise is that it will improve your sleep quality. According to a consumer report, 27 percent of people have difficulty falling asleep, and that’s not to mention the millions of people across the country who have sleep apnea. And when these issues combine with a poor exercise routine, you’re in for a bad night’s sleep every night. Eventually, your well-being will take a toll and you’ll feel a lot less fulfilled with your life.  

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