People who are dealing with a chronic illness face dozens of obstacles every day – from financial difficulties and coping with pain and discomfort to the struggles of trying to deal with everyday tasks. But the challenges are not the only difficulty. Amongst the challenges comes the sense of isolation. Often excluded from the activities
Swathe.me Blog
Small Ways To Show Compassion To Someone Dealing With Illness
It can be hard to know how best to show compassion and support someone who is dealing with a serious or chronic illness. Often, you desperately want to ease their suffering and be there for them, but you are unsure of what they need and how you can help. Everyone deals with their illness in
How Happiness Can Be Healing
When you are experiencing a serious, debilitating, or life-threatening illness, it can be difficult to inspire genuine feelings of joy and happiness. In fact, when you or a loved one are facing immense challenges of any kind, it can be hard to pull yourself away from negativity, fear and loneliness. However, there is a good
The Joy Of Giving At Any Time Of Year
The season of giving is upon us. But what does that really mean? Christmas has evolved somewhat in recent times. A slight sense of materialism has crept in. Sometimes giving at this festive time can seem like an obligation rather than what it should be – a gift of service and selflessness. With new “traditions”
How Social Connections Can Improve Physical Health
Human beings are very social creatures. That is why social interactions play a significant role for us and in our physical health. When you experience hardship and difficulties in your life, it can be tempting to withdraw from your friends and family – isolating yourself. However, there is increasing evidence that you should actually do
Why Mental Wellbeing Should Be A Consideration In The Workplace
October shines a light on mental wellbeing with Mental Health Awareness Week here in New Zealand. Mental health issues have been around for many years, but they have always been a bit of a taboo subject. Thankfully, that is all starting to change. Slowly, it is becoming more acceptable to have conversations about mental health
How To Support Someone With Cancer
Hearing that a friend or family member has been diagnosed with cancer can be scary. It brings a lot of emotion along with it – fear, anger, sadness, and worry. All very big feelings to deal with. The thing with Cancer is that it can mean many things. It is a general term that covers
The first steps to take when the unexpected happens
The unexpected can happen at any time, without warning and we’re not always prepared, particularly in the event of a health crisis. The first steps you take when the unexpected happens can make a big difference to how you get through a challenging time. Slow Down When life throws you a curveball, your first instinct
How a lack of timely support led to depression
Life throws us curveballs that we’re not always prepared for. If you don’t have people to turn to or timely support right when you need it, you can find yourself on a slippery downward spiral very quickly. It’s how people suddenly find themselves homeless seemingly overnight, sleeping in cars or on the street. How It
How to cope with the death of a loved one, one man’s advice.
How do you cope with the death of a loved one when the heartbreak can be all-consuming? Losing a friend or a loved one is devastating. It can be hard to know what to do, or how to cope with the grief that follows, and the pain that never really goes away. Unfortunately, it’s something
I want to do good in my community, how can I help people?
More and more people want to do good by giving back and are asking the question ‘how can I help people’ in my community? As a nation we’re right up there when it comes to volunteering, currently ranked 6th in the world, with around 1.2 million Kiwis volunteering in our communities every year. Benefits of
How the kindness of a stranger sowed the seed for Swathe.me
This is a little story about the kindness of a stranger; and how I ended up in a French hospital an hour from home with a 3-month-old baby, no nappies, no house key, no money, no phone, no shoes, in my pJ’s with no idea of how to get home at one in the morning.