There are various things that may help you on your journey and support you in achieving your long term goals. You may wish to discuss the local options with your stroke nurse or the Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Advice Line Nurses.
Remember you have come a long way, now think about where you want to go next.
If you want to discuss any of the issues raised in this section please contact:
Setbacks are part of the recovery process.
This might sound strange, but you learn from your mistakes and gain experience on how to do things differently next time.
You have also seen about how others go about it too. Do what works for you, you are the one in control.
You can download the goal setting plan [.pdf, 49 KB] to set your own goals.
Remember to ask yourself these questions:
Chemists can offer a lot more than just a place to pick up your pills and prescription.
It may be useful to find out what is available at your local pharmacy.
For information on the Chronic Medication Service visit:
Depression affects your day to day life, if you are feeling negative you are less likely to be active and keep yourself well. When you feel better you are more likely to connect more with the outside world.
After a stroke many people experience “stop start” days along the way.
I woke up today and I just feel sad. I just can’t face things today. I am tired and this makes me irritable. I feel I am good for nothing so I am just going to stay in bed.
I woke up today and I’m feeling okay. I’m not ready to tackle everything but I am getting there. I will get up, get ready and see what I can do today.
I woke up today and I feel better. I feel positive and this makes me more motivated. I want to do more today and perhaps get out and about. I can do this!
Can you identify with any of these feelings? Can you see how they affect your actions? Have a think over the last week. What colour days have you had? If you have had a number of red days you might want to speak to someone about this.
We have now looked at feelings and emotions and identified how you are feeling just now.
Before we go on to look at some ways that may help you, take some time to think about what you have done so far and when you are ready have a look at the next section which will show you some strategies that can help.
When your confidence is low it is easy to spot criticism and be too self critical.
Neighbour 1: “I haven’t seen you since you had your stroke, but you’re looking well”
Neighbour 2: Thinks: “Looking well, she’s trying to say I’ve put on weight”
If someone said that to you, what would you think?
STOP and think. Do you always hear criticism?
It may be helpful to talk to others about how sensitive you feel during conversations.
Meet Allan. Allan has had to overcome some problems following his stroke in order to get out and about. Lets see how he has got on. Tap on the picture to find out what Allan’s advice is.
What if I get stuck? I was worried that I might get myself into a situation and get stuck, 2 streets from home. Common sense helps. I keep an ete on the weather, don’t go out if it is too dark, wear the right shoes and always take my mobile phone with me
I need to pay more attention to things. My stroke didn’t affect my eyesight, but I do make an effort to pay more attention to things as I am not so quick on my feet, especially when I am crossing a road. I had a support worker who came out with me for a while to get used to this. I had to build up my confidence, but it was worth it.
What if over do it? As I started to go out more by myself I would over do it the odd time. I learned to pace myself by landmarks. I now measure everything out in the distance between lampposts! I used to be able to do one and take a rest. I can now to 2 at a time. Sometimes I can walk into town and get the bus back so I am not walking both ways, especially if I am carrying bags.
I am not confident around other people. I was worried about what other people thought about me and also a bit nervous in crowds, because I was not as steady on my feet as I was before. The first few times I went out, my son came with me and we did not go far or to busy places. This helped my confidence.
Keeping a record of your sleep, which can also be called a sleep diary, helps you look in more detail at how you are sleeping.
So how can a sleep diary help you?
By recording in more detail your sleep pattern and habits, a sleep diary can help you see the connection between your habits and your sleep.
Let’s look at how Scott used his sleep diary…
Scene 2: GP: “It sounds like this has been going on for a while. Let’s try a sleep diary as it will tell us more about what might be causing you to wake up.”
Keypoint: Scott decides to visit his GP for advice on how to get a better night’s sleep. His GP Suggests trying a sleep diary. (GP passes Scott a sleep diary).
Scene 3:
| Date: 07/03/15 | Bedtime: 11pm | Wake time: 3am | Duration of sleep: 4 hours |
| Number of times awake at night: 2 | Quality of sleep: Disturbed | ||
| Caffeine intake and time taken | Alcohol intake and time taken | Food/drink intake and time taken | How are you feeling? | Medications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 mugs of coffee and 2 cups of tea throughout the day. Last taken at 9pm | 3 large whiskys before bed at 11pm | Dinner at 7pm. Mince & potatoes and rice pudding | Achy and restless | Simvastatin Paracetamol |
Keypoint: Scott fills in his sleep diary.
Scene 4:
| Date: 07/03/15 | Bedtime: 11pm | Wake time: 3am | Duration of sleep: 4 hours |
| Number of times awake at night: 2 | Quality of sleep: Disturbed | ||
| Caffeine intake and time taken | Alcohol intake and time taken | Food/drink intake and time taken | How are you feeling? | Medications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 mugs of coffee and 2 cups of tea throughout the day. Last taken at 9pm | 3 large whiskys before bed at 11pm | Dinner at 7pm. Mince & potatoes and rice pudding | Achy and restless | Simvastatin Paracetamol |
| Reduce caffeine intake, especially later in the day | Reduce alcohol intake before bedtime | Try taking dinner earlier especially if it is a big meal | Review medication for pain | |
Keypoint: Scott and his GP review his diary together and identify ways to improve his sleep.
Scene 5:
Scott is in bed sleeping, he looks rested. The clock shows 3am.
Keypoint: Scott tries his GP’s suggestions and is getting a better night sleep.
If you would like to try a Sleep Diary like Scott you can:
Download the Patient.co.uk Sleep Diary [.pdf, 326 KB]
Used with permission from Patient.co.uk available at, http://www.patient.co.uk/health/sleep-diary (c) © 2015, Egton Medical Information Systems Limited. All Rights Reserved
If you like using your smartphone, there are many apps available. You can explore this and see what works for you.
By reading the newspaper articles you will have seen how self management can have many benefits. You maybe uncertain about taking the next step forward. Let’s hear John’s advice.
Sometimes, by weighing up the pro’s and con’s you can work out how to take things forward. By doing this you will see you are ready to use SelfHelp4Stroke and set some goals. Let’s have a look and see what I did.
Let’s see how John moved forward towards self management.
Now that you are considering joining an organised activity, sports club or exercise programme, here are some questions which you may find useful to ask and write down the answers.
Why don’t you print these questions and have them handy when looking into leisure activities?
