- Embrace Positive Thinking
A lot can be done if we just change our mindset. Look to rid yourself of negative thinking, appreciate that there are always limitations in life but these should not define what and who you are.
In a bid to reframe the way we look at our day-to-day lives, a major hindrance in people feeling able to cope is the view that they are somehow less able. This coming year challenge this way of thinking and reversing it; try to consider what you can do instead of what you can’t. Congratulate yourself on what have achieved instead of only looking at what you have yet to complete.
- Eat Well for Life
Turn around your thinking on diet. It’s not about giving up foods, embrace more – more variety, more flavours, more colours, more of what we know is good for us. Instead of solely focusing on a weight-loss goal and giving foods up. Find your creativity in the kitchen and challenge yourself to try new recipes using a broader range of ingredients, and limit processed or ready-made meals. Learn new arthritis-friendly recipes, get inspired, and rekindle your relationship with food.
- Get active
Keeping moving is one of the most important things a person can do to help their symptoms and progression of their condition. Depending on your current lifestyle, this could be anything from going for a short walk each day, or just taking part in chair-based exercises to keep active while you’re at home. Slotting in some form of activity to our everyday lives makes for a sustainable long-term plan. Focus on what you can do and again congratulate yourself once it’s done and that you felt better for doing it, as that will motivate repeat behaviour.
- Practise pacing
Begin the year with a very helpful tool in your self-management toolkit. Practise flare-up management by learning about ‘pacing’. During an age where people move and operate so quickly, we may have forgotten the value of rest and recuperation.
A question we get asked a lot is ‘How do you know when to slow down?’ Pacing is recognising your limitations, looking at your lifestyle and developing a goal action plan, to change the way you think about your daily activities, your condition and importantly your rest time.
As we advise our Members, pacing is becoming aware of your activity and being conscious not to overdo it on good days. Be considerate of your long-term wellbeing, and appreciate that you can confidently prioritise your tasks to suit how you may feel on a particular day.
- Join a Group
Finally, we know that living with chronic pain can be an isolating experience. The final resolution is to connect with others, reach out and join a community, share experiences with, and learn from others. The nature of our relationships with our family and friends mean that sometimes we cannot be vulnerable, or ask for advice to help us through a difficult flare-up. Joining a Group for people with arthritis and meeting people in the same boat allows you to share that unique experience of arthritis and address any questions, building on your confidence as well as developing a social circle.
Finally, want to stay on track with those New Year’s Resolutions, remember:
*Small consistent changes are more likely to stick
*Make your goals achievable
*Be kind to yourself