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Why You Should Have a Support Group
5 July 2021
Social connections can help you when you are going through challenges or when you need someone to talk to about the stress from your day-to-day activities. Your relationship with your friends and family can serve as your main support in times of need. But you can also seek help from people with whom you share a similar experience. Support groups bring together people who have commonalities like being caregivers to their sick loved ones, dealing with death and grief, or living with chronic medical conditions.
Why You Should Have a Support Group Guide
For many people, a health-related support group can help fill the unique gap created by their particular condition. Even a good medical team may not be able to give adequate emotional support to their patient, while the individual’s family and friends may not fully understand the experience of living with a disease. Joining a support group may better able to give the individual the help they need.
Types of Support Groups
There are many different types of support groups. They can be run by nonprofit advocacy organizations, local communities, hospitals, or solely by the group members themselves. While the most common ones are for individuals struggling with a medical condition, there are also groups for their loved ones or primary caregivers. Here, they can get insights from people who have experienced or are currently dealing with a similar circumstance. Most of the time, these groups also help both the patient and their loved ones to understand the medical condition better and how to provide appropriate assistance.
Many support groups have regular meetings and can be held in places like community centers. Some gatherings may even have guest speakers like physicians or counselors in addition to members sharing their experiences with the whole group. Most meetings allocate time for attendees to socialize among themselves so they can make interpersonal connections. Also, there are support groups that can be found online, which allows people from different parts of the world to connect and interact through online message boards, chat forums, and social media.
Benefits of Support Groups
If you or anyone you know is diagnosed with an illness, joining a support group can be very useful. Sharing a similar experience creates a sense of community and gives people a safe space to discuss particular issues relating to their medical condition. These forums also offer valuable emotional and informational assistance.
Emotional Support
Joining support groups helps you realize that you are not alone and that there are other people who are going through something similar. This can give you comfort and help reduce your distress, fatigue, or depression. Since the gatherings promote a supportive environment, you are encouraged to talk about your feelings freely and honestly. You can also meet people who have surpassed the challenges you are currently going through, which can give you hope and empower you. This can be very helpful for people who are getting treatment for mental illnesses like substance use disorder. When people share encouraging words for someone in rehab, this can motivate the patient to stick with their treatments.
Informational Support
Some people participate in support groups to gain more information about their condition. Often, people look for guidance or other opinions before making a decision. This is particularly important if you have just been recently diagnosed or are in the early stages of treatment as the experience of others can help alleviate any anxiety or stress you may have about this new development in your life. Other group members may also be able to share about new medical breakthroughs or treatments for your shared condition
On the other hand, people who want to support their ill loved ones can learn coping skills and gain a different perspective on the condition. Groups may also be able to share practical tips and point you toward helpful resources like where to get medical supplies or organizations that offer financial assistance.
Disadvantages of Support Groups
Like any other group, they also has potential drawbacks. Most of the time, the facilitator or organizer of the group can help deter problems such as:
- Breach of confidentiality
- Emotional tension and conflicts among members
- Disruptive individuals
- Inappropriate advice without medical support
- Comparison of condition or experiences
Finding Support Groups
When looking for a forum that can help you tackle the challenges related to your medical condition, the best resources are:
- Your medical team
- Hospital or clinic
- Nonprofit organizations for certain health issues
- Local community organizations
- Official websites of specific diseases and conditions
Maximizing Your Support Group
It’s normal to feel anxious when joining a new group and to feel shy about talking to people you don’t know. In the beginning, you can benefit from simply listening to the discussions of other people. But over time, you may want to become an active participant by sharing your insights and experiences. This can help you get the most out of the support group. In addition, you don’t have to commit to the first group you join. You can try it out for a few weeks and see if it’s a good fit for what you are looking for. If it’s not, then you can consider trying other ones.
Having a strong support group when you are going through difficult times can be helpful, especially if you are dealing with a chronic medical condition. Although talking to people you share common ground with can bring emotional comfort, you need to remember that it is not a substitute for regular medical care. So, make sure to always follow the advice of your physician and inform them that you are participating in a support group.
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