After an accident, there is suddenly a lot to sort out. It is likely that you will need to claim on your insurance and this could end up taking you into legal proceedings; you will also have to rebuild your strength so that you can get back to work as quickly as possible.
To begin with, you should ensure that you have a good lawyer on your side who will be able to represent you in court. They should be able to help you sue the person who caused your accident to ensure that you have enough money to take your time recovering and will be able to pay for any treatment you require.
Getting a good representative is vital and you should always look for the law firm that gets the best results in cases like yours. As specialist lawyers spend all their time focusing on similar cases, they shouldn’t have a problem with yours. This will give you the time to recover after your accident without worrying about what might happen.
With the legal stuff out of the way, here is what you should do to recover your strength after an accident.
Learn to Deal With Your Stress
Accidents are stressful in themselves but many people find that after the initial trauma, additional tension also creeps up on them. It might be very subtle to start and you may not even notice it for a while. This is very common, especially for those suffering PTSD as it takes time for your brain to process what has happened and in the shock of the accident itself, you may not have been able to really process what was happening.
If you feel that you may be stressed by an event afterwards, it is important that you start learning how to deal with that as soon as possible. Though we tend to pretend that everything is fine and soldier on, this is the worst thing you can do with stress as it will let the emotions fester and get worse. Instead, you should talk to your friends and loved ones about what is weighing you down and start coming up with some coping mechanisms.
There is only so much that you can control in life and this accident and the consequences are clearly not within your control right now. This is going to feel frustrating, especially if you like to be in control and the accident was completely out of the blue. A therapist will be able to help you work through your feelings and aid your recovery process. Healing after an accident isn’t just about physical recovery but emotional recovery too.
Gradually Start Doing More
If you are usually an active person, being incapacitated by an injury really sucks. But, as you get some energy and movement back, you will be able to do more – just remember to take your time. Active people struggle most with recovery because when they feel even a tiny bit better, they tend to grab the opportunity and exhaust themselves. While restraint is difficult, it will give you a better result in the long run.
Gently flexing and stretching your muscles will really help you if you are still recovering and spending most of your time in bed. Moving your feet up and down will help stretch out your calves and rolling your shoulders should release some of the tension in your upper back. You can also tuck your chin into your clavicle and raise your head in a slow nodding motion to stretch your neck.
Over time, you will build up your strength and can start doing things as normal again. Walking is always going to be one of the best exercises for everyone as it is low impact but can raise your heart rate just enough to give you a boost of serotonin. Getting out in the sunshine will also do you a power of good so wrap up warm and see what nature is up to outside your window.
If you have suffered life-changing injuries, you may need to take some time to relearn certain skills or practise doing things in a new way. This is intensely frustrating but it will get better over time. Moving gradually more and more might feel like slow progress but it is still progress. Don’t be so hard on yourself that you don’t notice how well you are doing, track your progress and you will see it.
Eat Healthy
After an accident, you might be tempted to go all out on comfort foods and for a short while, this is okay. You’ve been in an accident so you deserve to enjoy a treat and feel soothed by food. However, don’t get lulled into the idea that because you are in recovery you won’t pile on weight; maintaining a healthy diet is just as important now, if not more so.
While you are in hospital, you won’t need to worry about what you are eating but once you are home, you should give it some thought. Proteins are just what your body needs to build muscle and recover. Luckily protein is really easy to get into your diet through eggs, pulses, lean meats and soy products like tofu. Add in a pile of vegetables for lots of vitamins and minerals and you will feel better too. Meals like this are really simple to cook so shouldn’t take too much time or effort either.
Though accidents are never fun, an optimist might see it as an opportunity for a new start. Let the old bad habits go and bring in some new, better habits while you are in recovery and working hard to get your body back to normal. Think carefully about the changes you have been forced to make as well as the changes you would like to make to begin rebuilding your life. With some help from your friends and family, you can recover your strength after an accident, it just takes time and patience.
You’ll get there.
And if you’re in need of a car accident attorney, be sure to know the process and what they can do for you.
