rength he has. Many
convalescents are obliged, or think they are obliged, to take up regular
work again before their strength is fully restored. There is generally
no economy in so doing; indeed, time is saved in the end by waiting
until recovery is complete before undertaking full work.

Important as it is to build up the patient's physical strength, it is
hardly less important to direct his thoughts away from himself and his
sickness, and to help him renew his interest in normal living. During
his illness he has of necessity relied upon the judgment and support of
other persons, and his pain and discomfort have forced him to think
constantly of himself and his many needs. The habit of sickness is
readily broken by some persons, particularly by those whose nervous
exhaustion has not been great and whose interests outside themselves are
naturally keen. But the sick point of view has remarkable tenacity, and
other patients, unless circumstances or deliberate efforts redirect
their thoughts, will look upon themselves as invalids to the end of
time.

Hopefulness promotes health, while discouragement, apprehension, and
unhappiness lower the tone of the whole system. Hence set backs,
failures, delays, and relapses should not be dwelt upon, but signs of
progress should be mentioned; judiciously however, since overdone
attempts to cheer a patient seldom fail to have the opposite effect. If
objects or situations that suggest undesirable thoughts are eliminated,
the less often those thoughts tend to recur. Therefore, in order to
break the habit of sickness, old thoughts must be gradually banished
and new ones must be substituted. Sick-room appliances should be put out
of sight as soon as they are no longer needed, and the patient may
profit by moving into a different bed room. A few days spent away from
home as soon as his strength permits often prove effective in breaking
up sickness associations; the patient is generally encouraged when he
finds that he can sleep in a different bed, endure some fatigue, and
exist without daily visits from the doctor. Even a day spent at a
different house in the same town sometimes directs the patient's
thoughts into fresh channels. Gradually, but as quickly as safety
allows, he should take his place in the normal family life and cease to
be treated as an exception.

Merely eliminating associations with sickness, however, is not enough;
and exhorting a patient to forget himself and to become