Arthritis Wisdom

Inspired tips and information elevating autoimmune living

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Time to Advance RA Management Lifestyle Wise

Time to assess RA management using lifestyle choices

January 1 is a perfect time to assess your lifestyle to better manage rheumatoid arthritis

Time to Advance RA Management Lifestyle Wise

Today is January 1, 2019.  The new year has arrived and although I’m not one to make resolutions, I like the idea of a clean slate.  Today is a great opportunity to look at my lifestyle and assess where I can become more disciplined to better manage my rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

For anyone new to reading my blog, which is a chronicle of my personal discoveries to keep my disease controlled, I believe lifestyle choices have been every bit as important to my RA management as the biologic I am on.  From time to time I like to reassess what I’m doing to better help my body fight inflammation.  I use the *FRESH* strategy, and it has been very effective.

This year I’m focussing on two points, more consistency limiting added sugar and decluttering.

  1. Limiting added sugar is an important piece to the F (food) part of my *FRESH* strategy.  I seem to do pretty well avoiding added sugar if I’m mindful and disciplined about what I put in my mouth.  The problem comes when I let my guard down and indulge in the yummy brownie or ice cream cone without considering the consequences.  What happens when I eat a little added sugar is I start craving sweets and if I’m not thinking I will continue eating goodies to satisfy the craving.  When I start feeling lousy I realize what has happened.  This is exactly what I want to get better control of.
  2. Decluttering falls under the R (rest or relaxation) part of my *FRESH* strategy.  When I’m in a cluttered space or I commit to too many things, therefore cluttering my schedule, I feel anxiety or nervousness.  I’m then wondering what I’m forgetting, missing or losing.  I want to thin out my belongings and give away or toss what I’m not going to use.  Fortunately, one of my college friends is arranging an online group to give each other helpful ideas, encouragement and accountability with our New Year pursuits such as decluttering!

As my first day of 2019 winds down, I have just shared my plans to not only continue with a lifestyle that helps my body fight the inflammatory autoimmune disease I have, but to fine tune it for even better RA management.

And that is using Arthritis Wisdom!

I’d love to hear what the New Year inspires you to do.  Leave a comment below!

XXOO Cathy

photo credit: Brooke Lark on Unsplash

4 Beliefs on Christmas Eve

Time to rest and enjoy the season to release stress when managing rheumatoid arthritis

The time is now to rest and enjoy the season remembering 4 Beliefs on Christmas Eve.

4 Beliefs on Christmas Eve

All month has been spent preparing for and celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa.  It is certainly a festive and fun time of the year.  It’s a perfect time to reconnect with those important to us.  The holidays are full of tradition and literally brighten the shortened daytime hours.

Today is Christmas Eve and I have adopted 4 beliefs, or mottos, for this day since my rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosis.  These beliefs help to better manage the disease.  It is a time of enormous expectations and my lifestyle had to change because of my RA.  In many ways it is a better lifestyle than before because I am taking better care of myself.  Here are 4 ways I’m doing so today.

  1. What isn’t done by now wasn’t that important after all.  I love this motto because it allows me to simply enjoy the Christmas lights and all I have done to prepare up until now.  It also allows me to enjoy my family and what is really the reason for the season.
  2. Release your inner child.  Go ahead and recall your childhood memories and indulge your imagination.  I’m remembering all sorts of memories, especially since losing my mother last summer.
  3. Have an attitude of gratitude.   This time of year causes me to think more acutely of all I have to be thankful for.  Relationships, provisions, and even with RA I am thankful for all the parts of my body that do work well.
  4. Be sure to get a good night’s sleep tonight.   I have found even happy stress is stress on my body.  All the excitement and anticipation takes a toll on my joints.  I need to purpose to counter that stress as much as possible and getting the proper amount of sleep is critical.

With my 4 beliefs on Christmas Eve I wish you all a very happy day.  And that is using Arthritis Wisdom!

XXOO Cathy

photo credit: Marina Khrapova from Unsplash

 

6 Budget Gifts to Give Yourself

Enormous expectations for the Christmas season require ways to gift ourselves.

 

6 Budget Gifts to Give Yourself

As hard as I try to keep expectations in check to keep my stress level down during the Christmas season, there is always a point when I need to step back, take a breath and recalibrate what is going on. It is at this point I need to let all the pressures I’m feeling go away for a bit in order to regain perspective and calm.  It is the perfect time for 6 Budget Gifts to Give Yourself.

I was at this point the other morning.  The decorating, baking, shopping and planning must have got to me because I was exhausted.  It was the beginning of the day and I’m already exhausted!  I took a warm bubble bath and literally felt the pressures float away.  It was just what I needed.  I wasn’t expecting the totally relaxing effect as it was a part of my regular routine, but that morning it did wonders to bring me through the frazzle to a place of recovery.  I had never looked at a bath as being so revitalizing as I did that morning!

To be prepared for the next time this happens, I thought of simple, yet special things I can do to recharge my body’s battery.  The only ground rule is to temporarily forget about all your obligations and worries for the short time to allow your body to be restored.  Here they are my 6 budget gifts to give yourself:

  1. A warm bubble bath.  It worked once, I’m sure it will work again.  This especially feels good when there is a chill in the air!
  2. Get in your car, turn on the classical or holiday music station and drive around looking at Christmas lights.  Remember, you have permission to leave it all behind and just relax as you enjoy the sights and sounds of the season.
  3. Brew a cup of tea, grab a book of soothing poetry or a feel good short story and sit by the Christmas tree or decoration and lose yourself while reading.
  4. Have a cup of coffee or hot chocolate at the local coffee shop, preferably one that has a roaring fire in the fireplace!  Or one that has a nook you can people watch from and let your happy thoughts loose!
  5. Take an early in the day nap with your favorite four legged furry friend.
  6. There is nothing like snuggling up in your chair with your lap quilt to watch a Hallmark Christmas movie.

Since my rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosis, I pay close attention to the signs when my body is stressed.  Life will always throw curve balls and stuff does happen, but I have found being mindful and aware of how my body reacts to stress allows me to know when to do something to counter it.  That has helped me manage the autoimmune disease quite well.  If I give myself a temporary time frame to not allow troubling thoughts or worries, I can get recharged to better face the issue and more effectively deal with the problem(s) or just feel better.

This strategy is good for anyone, but especially good for those of us with a chronic health condition such as an autoimmune disease.  It is important to allow the body to recuperate.

And that is using Arthritis Wisdom!

XXOO Cathy

photo credit: Joshua Hoehne at Unsplash