Think of Your Needs (That's Not Selfish!)
At the end of each day, ask yourself if you have done all you could that day to make yourself comfortable and relaxed. Did you:
Take your medications on time?
Do range-of-motion exercises?
Use adaptive equipment to protect your joints?
Eat healthy foods?
Reduce your stress level and do an activity you find relaxing?
Get enough sleep the night before?
If you answered yes to most of the self-assessment questions, you're on the right track. If you answered no, you may need to refocus on your needs.
Alert
Many people have a hard time focusing on their own needs. Think about all of the parents who put the needs of their children before their own. Think of all the career-oriented people who put work first. When you live with chronic arthritis, your needs must be considered a priority.
It may feel selfish to be thinking of what you need. It's not selfish, though. You actually will do more for your family, your friends, and your co-workers if you take good care of yourself. If you take the time each day to address your needs, you will actually have more energy for other people and other activities in the long run.
Shed the Guilt
Some people truly have a hard time taking time out of their day to tap into their comfort regimen. Rather than taking time to watch the DVD or sit in the hot tub, you may be inclined to finish folding the laundry or read your child one more story. That extra push to finish the laundry or read longer to your child can be rooted in guilt. You think you are not as “good” as you were before you developed arthritis. You may subconsciously, or consciously, think that if you push to finish that laundry or read that one extra story to your child you will feel better, mentally and physically. That hardly ever works. By putting other things before your comfort regimen, you have deferred relaxation and gained little to nothing. One extra load of laundry will not rid you of the guilt you feel. Relaxation or meditation may have helped you relinquish those negative thoughts, however.
Saying No to Others, Yes to Yourself
It is a hectic world, and the demands of daily life are great. When you factor in your chronic illness, it can become overwhelming. Your comfort regimen will help you feel less overwhelmed.
Your time and attention is divided among family, friends, work, and church — you have obligations to each. Because of arthritis, you may have a more difficult time meeting those obligations on certain days. It may actually come down to saying no to others and yes to yourself on some days.
