those around you in a more adult, straight- forward manner and begin to solve some of your problems yourself. Strive for honest communication about what your needs are and how you are feeling. Marriages and significant relationships can be stressed by injury. Some stress comes from financial worries. Simple fatigue from working so hard to keep life functioning is stressful. Relationships suffer when people hide too much of what they feel and think from each other. Some partners may try to protect their injured loved one by not talking and sharing important things. They
may believe they are making life easier for a loved one, who may instead feel left out. Resentments may rise. If it is difficult to talk honestly about concrete circumstances
Talk with your spouse or partner about your concerns.
and feelings resulting from injuries, consider inviting a trusted friend, clergy, or counselor to facilitate such conversations. Children in the home will need special attention. They are vulnerable and can be very shaken by the fact that someone who is supposed to take care of them is now injured and unable to do so. They may be scared by physical changes they see or experience. They may be forced to grow up too quickly by assuming more responsibilities. Children are sometimes overlooked because so much of the family’s resources and energies are focused on the one who has been injured. Observe carefully to see if a child begins to withdraw, becomes noticeably more noisy or quiet, receives poor school grades, or stops
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