Pace Yourself in All Activities
It's important to pace yourself in all that you do. It's more effective for a person with arthritis to balance rest and activity. You will be able to accomplish as much, if not more, by pacing your activities. Think about it: Do you get farther by cleaning the house in one hour or by cleaning the house in two hours? Either way, you have achieved your goal of cleaning the house. By taking more time, you preserve energy you can devote to something else. If you rush and do too much in too little time, you will increase your level of fatigue, stress, and pain, and that may negatively impact your ability to do things the next day.
Fact
It's important for you to listen to your body's signals. When you start to become tired, take a break. If taking a break doesn't help, stop for the day and allow your body time to recuperate. Overdoing will increase pain and fatigue, as well as depression.
Getting Done Fast — Is That Always Best?
You may think that rushing to get through your daily chores is best. You may think you will rest after you're done with your list of chores. It's actually better for you to space out your activities by alternating more strenuous activities with less strenuous activities. You will find that you can get more done with the alternating method than by plowing through and wearing yourself out.
When you are experiencing more pain or worsening of other arthritis symptoms, take everything you do more slowly. On those days, you may require more breaks and less activity. Again, listen to your body and make those adjustments as needed. You can return to a normal pace once aggravated symptoms begin to diminish.
Reassess Your Pace
You may plan to accomplish your daily or weekly goals at a predetermined pace, but in reality, you may have overestimated your ability for that day or week. Even with the best-laid plans, you may need to adapt and adjust your schedule. When creating a to-do list or schedule, always allow flexibility. Account for the fact that things may not go exactly as planned. Allow yourself the opportunity to slow your pace when you need to and shift what you have scheduled to another time.
Consider also that some things may need to be taken off your list. Planning ahead and pacing yourself will definitely help you achieve most of your goals. Upon re-evaluation, you may decide you can't attend the PTA meeting after all, or you don't have the time to contribute something to the church bake sale. Consciously pacing yourself will help you not miss the things you have labeled as high priorities: Reserve your time and energy for your child's soccer game or school play.
