Unlike common illnesses, chronic dSelf-care requires you to focus on taking care of yourself first to have better wellness, be present for others, care for others, do your job well, and not feel drained. Pracitincg self-care sets you up so you can successfully do everything you need and want to do in a day. Diseases never fully go away. Knowing that you will never be the same again can be hard to accept.
Stressors are a fact of life and come in many forms, from work stressors to health stressors. When you have a chronic illness, you will have additional stressors, such as the unpredictability of your condition, medical appointments, symptoms, and not always being in control of your wellness.
Taking steps to mind your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being sets you up effectively manage and deal with everyday stressors so you reclaim your life. However, for self-care to be effective, it needs to be something you enjoy regularly doing.
If you are like me, you may start with the best intentions, promising to set time aside each day to prioritize yourself. And then life gets in the way. And soon, you aren’t doing any of your routines anymore.
Neuroscience shows us that doing something becomes a chore if we do not get pleasure or joy. When we start thinking of things as tasks or chores, we are ten times more likely to find a reason or excuse for not doing them. Therefore it is essential to have a self-care routine you love.
Let’s look at the six secrets to building a self-care routine that you will enjoy without exacerbating your chronic condition.
Six Secrets to Building a Self-Care Routine You’ll Love
Secret 1: Identify Your Specific Self-Care Needs
Identifying your specific needs is the first step to building a self-care routine with chronic disease. Take into account any physical limitations you may have as well as problematic symptoms such as stiffness or hyper flexibility. For example, if you have stiff joints, you may need to incorporate low-impact techniques into your routine.
Secret 2: Set Realistic Goals
Setting realistic goals for your self-care routine is essential if you want to stick to it. This means considering energy levels, physical limitations, and realistic expectations. The most successful routines have you starting small and working up to more challenging goals as your limitations and condition permits. For example, you don’t run a marathon without training for it first.
Secret 3: Scheduling Time for Self Care
Success starts with scheduling in time for your routine. You can start small, such as making time for five minutes of meditation a day or stretching and slowly building in more time as you get a feel for things. Making self-care a priority in your schedule will make you more likely to stick to it and even carve out more time for it.
Secret 4: Experimenting with Activities
Experimenting with different self-care activities is a great way to find out what works best for yourself while having fun. For example, you may try yoga, gentle exercises, walking in nature, or meditation. Experimenting aims to find activities you like and see how your body responds. This is also an ideal time to consider activities that have support built into them, such as walking with a friend or joining a team.
If you are feeling a bit stuck with ideas, why not check Wholefully’s 51 Self Care Ideas?
Secret 5: Making Self-Care a Habit
For your routine to become effective, you must make it a habit. By building self-care into your daily schedule, you are far more likely to stick to it. In addition, if you schedule your self-care routine for the same time daily, you will increase your chances of keeping it up. It may mean you are getting up a little earlier or cutting out some time watching tv, but remember this is about prioritizing you and your wellness.
Secret 6: Being Kind to Yourself
Self-care is an ever-changing journey. You may find that after doing daily meditations for a few months, it no longer brings you joy. That’s okay because you know how to experiment and try something else. Look at this as something other than making a mistake; rather, you experimented, and after reviewing your results, you discovered it wasn’t for you. It is also essential to be kind to yourself if you miss a day or two. Sometimes life gets in the way; sometimes, your condition makes it impossible to practice your routine. Rather than beating yourself up, show compassion and kindness and get back on track to keep moving forward.
Building a self-care routine you love means accepting that things will change, and that’s okay. You are worth the time and energy you spend creating and practicing your daily routine.
Taking the Next Step
I know from experience that living with chronic conditions is hard. I also know that having a self-care routine can make managing your condition and living beyond it easier. If you are feeling bewildered with self-care, let’s connect and get you back on the path to living life beyond chronic illness. Supportegy Wellness provides chronic illness support through various proven ways, including chronic illness support groups.