Self-Care Strategies for Chronic Illness Chaos!<\/h1>\n

While you realistically need to pull back and delegate some things to other people, you also need to feel productive and accomplished throughout this crazy time. Keeping your limitations in mind, you\u2019ll want to set some goals to keep you moving forward.<\/p>\n

Start with some weekly goals. For example, maybe you have family coming to town for a week this summer and your kids are going to camp the very next week! To prepare for both events, write a couple of goals on top of a page in your journal or planner (only pick 2-3 max).<\/p>\n

Break those weekly goals into daily goals. You can grab items from the list you made earlier! I recommend only planning for 5 days to give yourself a buffer. Also, you can always combine goals if you have a bit more energy than you anticipated one day!<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n

Chances are, no matter how well you\u2019ve followed the strategies above, you\u2019re still going to feel a bit overwhelmed and tired. During this chaotic time, it\u2019s really important to take some time to do something you enjoy.<\/p>\n

Read, take a bath, watch your favorite movie, or have dinner with a friend. Whatever it is, be sure to go into the activity with the intention of letting go of any worry or stress. Don\u2019t think about all the things piling up on your desk, or the tasks you should be doing. Try not to worry about the next day. Just let the \u201cme time\u201d activity recharge you!<\/p>\n

7. Celebrate Your Victories!<\/h2>\n

Once things settle down, the chances of you bouncing back to a \u201cnormal\u201d state are pretty slim. You\u2019ll find some comfort as your routine \u201cnormalizes\u201d but your body may be a little worse for the wear. It\u2019s during this time that it\u2019s absolutely vital to take some time to reflect on all of the amazing things you accomplished and worked through during the busy, chaotic time. If you\u2019re already keeping a gratitude log in your bullet journal, you could add to that — but I recommend an entirely new activity just for this.<\/p>\n

Find an hour or so to sit somewhere comfortable with your journal (or if you aren\u2019t journaling, just grab some paper and a pen) and make sure you\u2019ll not be interrupted.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to write yourself a letter!<\/p>\n

Start off by addressing yourself, then summarize the busy time you just went through as if you were writing to a friend.<\/p>\n

Dear Jess,<\/p>\n

Wow – I can\u2019t tell you how crazy the last two weeks have been! Brian\u2019s parents were here visiting for Christmas and it was the first time we have had them spend the holidays with us! On top of that, the kids got approved for family housing at the university at the very last minute and we needed to get them packed up and moved across state on New Year\u2019s Day! It was nuts. This was a really hard time for me because right before my in-laws got here, I went into a flare.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Next, tell yourself all of the incredible things you accomplished during this time — big and small! Write it in sentence format or as a bullet point list. Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n

I was really scared of how I would make it through all of this – especially with how sad I was about having to say goodbye to the kids. I cried buckets. But, surprisingly, even through all of the hard stuff and the flare pain, I was so impressed with how well I got through it all! Check out all the stuff I accomplished!<\/p>\n

\n
• I stuck to my sleep schedule the whole time! I told everyone how important it was for me to get good sleep each night, so we all made an effort to wrap up each evening about an hour before I went to bed. It was great because everyone else was tired, too! \ud83d\ude42<\/li>\n
• I asked for help with shopping. I was so nervous about asking my mom to help me with this, but since she was going shopping anyway, it worked out perfectly!<\/li>\n
• I hosted a cookie decorating party! The kids helped me with this, which really made it a lot easier since I couldn\u2019t stand for long periods. The family had such a great time and they all left with some really cute cookies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n

  Now, end your letter with some well-wishes for yourself and sign it with love. If it\u2019s an actual letter, fold it up and keep it somewhere special.<\/p>\n

  The act of celebrating and documenting everything you accomplished is a great way to reflect on the positive things that happened. Next time things are getting crazy, you can pull this out and read through it to boost your courage and remind yourself that you can do it!<\/p>\n

  I hope some of these self-care strategies for chronic illness resonate with you and I\u2019d love to hear your own tips for getting through chaotic times!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Last Christmas, my in-laws came to spend the holidays with us. Two weeks later, my son moved away to college. And all of this was going on while I was in a lupus flare. It was a crazy time, to say the least! While trying to give my in-laws the best holiday possible, I was also coping with the bittersweet heartbreak of sending my son and his girlfriend off to college. Even the joyful time spent with my family was leaving me feeling drained.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1457,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[106],"tags":[34,113],"yoast_head":"\n