COPD: Life Skills Tutorial

A diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for you or a loved one can seem like devastating news. A life with COPD is different than a life without COPD, and coping with these changes is a significant challenge to overcome. The good news is that people with COPD continue to live active and full lives. We outline six actions that will help you continue to live a meaningful and engaged life with COPD. These actions include: examining what is important to you, experiencing and managing feelings of loss, accepting help, coping with COPD as a family, understanding your medications and addressing concerns about using oxygen.

To get the most benefit out of this process, we recommend that you print these pages. We also recommend that you write down your answers to the questions listed throughout these pages. Writing down your answers can help you be more clear about what you really think and feel.   

Step 1: Examining What is Important to You