Living well with a long-term physical health condition video transcript

Living well with a long term physical health condition. A whiteboard animation created by the HPFT IAPT digital team.

People living with a long term physical health condition such as diabetes, chronic heart disease, COPD, chronic pain or irritable bowel syndrome to name a few examples may face various challenges across many areas of their life. From being diagnosed to learning how to self manage their physical health condition, everyone's experience can be very different. For many people their long term physical health condition or impact on their daily life such as work, family, finances and hobbies. This may lead to feelings of stress, worry and low mood. It is completely normal for people living with a long term physical health condition to feel this way. Did you know that 30% of people living with a long term physical health condition in England also have a common mental health problem such as depression or anxiety.

The way we feel emotionally can influence how we feel physically. For example, someone with a long term physical health condition might feel hopeless about the future and start to think that nothing they do could make them feel better. As a result, they might not take their medication regularly or attend appointments with medical professionals. This can lead to a deterioration in their physical health, reinforcing the feelings of hopelessness and low mood. It can also work the other way. When we feel better emotionally, we feel more able to manage our physical health condition so the way we manage stress in our lives can improve how we feel both physically and emotionally on a day-to-day basis.

If you or someone you know is living with a long term physical health condition, it is important to learn different ways to manage stress. The webinar ‘living well with a long term physical health condition’ introduces the relationship between our physical and mental health, the impact of stress on long term physical health conditions and stress management tips and techniques to improve emotional well-being. For further information on how to access the ‘living world with a long term physical health condition’ webinar and other available webinars please visit our website or scan the QR code on the screen now.

If you have a long term physical health condition and would like to access further support, HPFT IAPT services offer a range of treatments delivered by clinicians trained on long term physical health conditions. These treatments include guided self-help over the telephone or via video call, individual or group cognitive behavioural therapy depending on what is available in the area you live and computerised cognitive behavioural therapy. For further information on how to access support through IAPT, please visit our website or scan the QR code on the screen now.

Living well with a long-term physical health condition video

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