Do you ever feel like things are FINALLY into place with your life and then a doctor tells you that you need surgery or have to handle a new health issue immediately so everything else has to go on pause?

Trust me, I’ve been there and it’s so overwhelming.

I felt like I was finally gaining momentum with work when I was told that I needed an urgent tethered cord release surgery. It’s a major neurosurgery that takes to months to recover from. I saw all my momentum just fizzle out and disappear. I had to pause my commitments to my coaching clients, pass off my physical therapy patients, and stop my social media-related business.

I was an expert at managing my chronic illnesses, but I wasn’t ready for an acute issue. It’s so frustrating to have to deal with something like this, and it can really impact your mental health if you let it. I learned a lot from my experience with urgent surgery, so I wanted to pass along what I learned.

How to handle unexpected health-related hurdles

1. Understand and accept that you have a chronic illness diagnosis, and sometimes things will be out of your control.

2. If possible, structure your business and life so you’re prepared if an urgent issue does come up. Have content planned ahead of time, have someone in place to take over your role temporarily, have flexible deadlines for projects, always make sure your prescriptions are filled, maintain your regular doctor appointments, things like that.

3. Allow yourself to feel the emotions that an unexpected hurdle brings up. Let yourself be frustrated, angry, upset, sad, defeated. If you ignore those feelings, they’ll just come back even stronger.

4. Focus on self-care practices like journaling, meditation, reading, therapy, or anything you enjoy that will help you shift from your heightened emotional state and back to a calm one.

5. Make peace with the fact that this is your life. It’s easier and healthier to learn how to embrace that, rather than fighting against it. Therapy is an excellent tool for this process.

Thanks to these 5 steps, I was able to handle the news of my surgery well. I allowed myself to feel the disappointment, but my mental resiliency and level of acceptance brought me out of it. I’ve accepted that chronic illness has a lot of control over my life. It defines my life in a lot of ways, and I have to be ready for it mess things up sometimes.

I hope my experience can help you manage a health setback or surprise. Let me know if you try any of these tips!