Being injured on the job can be devastating. Not only will you have to deal with the pain and path to recovery from your injuries, but you also might be out of work, causing financial strain on your family.
What are the best strategies for coping with a workplace injury and eventually getting back to your normal life?
Initial Steps
Immediately following a workplace injury, you’ll have some responsibilities and tasks to take care of. Your first and most obvious responsibility is to seek medical attention and protect others to whatever extent possible. That means getting yourself to a safe area, eliminating whatever hazard or condition caused your injury, warning other people of potentially dangerous conditions, and calling for emergency help.
Next, you need to get medical attention. Depending on the severity and urgency of your injuries, you may need to go to a hospital, or you may simply make an appointment with your primary care physician as soon as possible. Either way, you need formal documentation and appropriate treatment for your injuries.
When you’ve taken care of all that, contact a workers’ comp attorney. Workers’ comp is a type of insurance designed to pay for any injuries employees suffer on the job, which may or may not include coming and going to work. However, your initial settlement offer may not be enough to compensate you fully for everything you lost. A workers’ comp attorney can help you review your situation, negotiate for a higher settlement, and walk away in a much better position.
These are the most important strategies for coping with your workplace injury:
· Get the medical attention you need. Get all the medical attention you need, starting from the day of your injury. Don’t procrastinate going to the hospital or seeing a doctor, and attend all your recommended follow-up appointments. Some people are reluctant to do this because they’re afraid of accumulating medical bills, but remember that nearly all workplace injuries are fully compensable.
· Follow all medical advice. Similarly, it’s important for you to follow all medical advice. If your doctors tell you to do something or not to do something, trust their direction. If you’re prescribed a specific treatment plan, follow it.
· Take it one day at a time. Recovering from a workplace injury may take days, weeks, months, or even longer. It’s important for you to take things one day at a time. Focusing on your long-term course of development may be unproductive.
· Get help from friends and family members. This is a critical time to get help from your friends and family members. Depending on the extent of your injuries, you may need help with basic daily tasks and responsibilities, like cooking and cleaning. Even if you don’t, you may benefit from the extra social support.
· Socialize. Socialization is unambiguously good for your health. In addition to regularly interacting with your friends and family members who are closest to you, you should make an effort to engage with others.
· Distract yourself (healthily). If you can’t engage in your normal activities or if you’re struggling with excessive pain, consider finding healthy distractions to take your mind off things. For example, you might get lost in one of your favorite TV shows or pick up a new hobby that’s accessible to you.
· Take care of your health. In addition to focusing on your recovery, take good care of your health in general. That means drinking water on a regular basis, optimizing your nutritional intake, getting plenty of sleep, and abstaining from harmful substances.
· Get whatever exercise you can. Similarly, get whatever physical exercise you can. Exercise is a great way to relieve stress and promote healing through increased blood circulation and better overall health. Just make sure you’re still well within the bounds of your doctor’s advice.
· Find healthy coping strategies. There are myriad strategies for coping with and managing stress (and pain, for that matter). Experiment with various strategies to see what works best for you. Some people prefer meditation, while others prefer yoga, and still others prefer productive activities like working side gigs.
· Seek professional therapy or counseling. If you’re having an especially tough time managing your mental and emotional health, don’t hesitate to seek professional therapy or counseling. These services may be compensable in addition to your medical expenses, and they can make a powerfully positive impact on your mental well-being.
Workplace injuries can be tragic and dramatically impactful on your life, but they don’t have to stop you from living and enjoying your life, especially if you have the right coping strategies in place. As long as you work proactively and consistently to get the treatment you need and stay sane in the process, you’ll likely go back to living a normal life in relatively short order.
