By: Kellsey Reed, RDN, LDN, PatientsLikeMe Contributor
When it comes to managing chronic kidney disease, lifestyle factors like diet and exercise play a huge role. It’s important to follow a kidney-friendly diet and get in regular physical activity to manage your kidney health overall. With that being said, managing your mindset and mental health is equally as important as what you eat and how much physical activity you do each day!
Mental Health and Chronic Kidney Disease
Mental health refers to our social, emotional, and psychological well-being. Our mental health is so important because it affects our quality of life and helps us make decisions and handle day-to-day things. Research shows that mental health conditions like depression and anxiety are common for chronic kidney disease patients.
If you have experienced depression or anxiety before, you know that these conditions can affect every aspect of your life. They can make it harder for you to manage your conditions, like CKD, and make it more difficult for you to do things you enjoy. If you feel like these conditions negatively affect your day-to-day life, it might be time to reach out to a mental health professional for support. Some tips that can help you to cope with depression or anxiety with CKD are:
- Take time out of your day for rest and relaxation
- Try therapy with a mental health professional
- Move your body in any way that feels good for you
- Listen to your favorite music or audiobooks
- Spend time with loved ones
- Watch a comforting movie or tv show
- Try a breathing exercise
Stress
If you are living with CKD and you experience increased levels of stress, you are not alone. This can be so common for those living with CKD. You may feel more stressed because you are trying to manage so many things at one time, like your medications, food choices, doctor’s appointments, pain, fatigue, and so much more.
Sometimes this stress can add to any depression or anxiety you may be experiencing too. It can be hard to manage stress, but utilizing some simple techniques can help make it easier:
- Identify any triggers that amplify your stress - This can help you to avoid these triggers in the future or help you to navigate them better.
- Journal your thoughts and feelings - This can help you to stay in touch with your feelings and emotions.
- Practice self-care - This can be any form of self-care that you find helpful, not just bubble baths and reading books. Maybe self-care for you is making a grocery list and going to the grocery store once/a week. Maybe it’s prioritizing alone time for yourself.
- Be kind to yourself - Remember how you talk to yourself is important. It can influence our daily thoughts and what we tell ourselves. Try to use compassion with yourself and participate in positive self-talk.
Mental Health Resources for Chronic Kidney Disease
When it comes to managing your mental health with CKD, check out these helpful resources:
- Find a psychologist in your area: https://locator.apa.org/
- Watch a webinar on anxiety and CKD:
- Find a peer mentor: https://www.kidney.org/peers
- Find a support group on the PatientsLikeMe website
- Contact a mental health hotline for immediate support: Call 800-273-8255 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or text “HOME” to 741-741 to reach the Crisis Text Line
References:
- https://www.kidneyfund.org/living-kidney-disease/mental-health-and-kidney-disease#:~:text=Talk%20to%20your%20social%20worker&text=If%20your%20dialysis%20clinic%20has,are%20there%20to%20help%20you.
- https://www.kidney.org/coronavirus/coping-support
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8705378/
- https://www.kireports.org/article/S2468-0249(22)01366-3/fulltext