Self management is about growing in confidence and gaining new skills, to help you manage your condition. This will be done with support from your health care professionals, carers and family. This does not mean that you have to cope alone or that the health care professionals are abandoning you.
Self management is about you finding what works best for you in terms of coping and managing everyday living activities when living with a long term condition. The support you need will always be in place but you will be the person managing it. It is about you being in control of your condition and not it taking control of you!
Here are some tips for successful self management;
- Understand as much as you can about COPD.
- Understand how COPD affects you.
- Improve the way you cope and your well being.
- Know when and where to get the help you need.
- Know how to communicate with the healthcare experts about your COPD symptoms.
- Know which actions you can take which are personally meaningful and important to manage your COPD.
- Know what to do if your COPD gets worse.
Self management is about making small changes or adjustments. You are already doing this by visiting this website.
You will see this icon on some pages when there is a self management tip.
You will see this icon on some pages when there is a self management tip.
