What does your current day-to-day life look like?
Take a piece of paper and write down every activity you do throughout the day from the moment you get out of bed. Keep a one week journal of what you’re eating and what physical activities you’re performing. This will help you get a real picture of what goes into your body and how often you exercise. Then, use this information to make small but actionable adjustments to your daily routine. If you’re trying to jump from not exercising at all to exercising 3 times per week, it’s probably not going to happen long term. Yes, you might do it for one or two weeks, but after you’ve proven to yourself you can do it, your motivation will drop and you’ll just go back to the same pattern you’ve been performing for decades. Sounds familiar? Get out of the vicious cycle and make only small improvements.
Now to the actual steps…
Now, imagine your future self. What do you look like? Are you fit and healthy? Are you still dealing with your chronic conditions? Have this picture of your future self in your mind any time you’re feeling unmotivated or unsure of yourself. Remember that you are capable of realizing everything you visualize. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to visualize it. There is a healthy, strong, powerful version of you waiting to be actualized. You can become this version of yourself with just small, step-by-step actions in the right direction. Once you have this picture of yourself in mind, start setting measurable goals and building habits to support them.
What are measurable goals?
These are goals that you can put a number to. For example: eat one apple a day; walk 5,000 steps every other evening; sleep 8 hours every night. These are simple, basic goals you can start with and increase your numbers or the number of habits you have, as you’re reaching them. An important thing to remember is not to obsess with numbers. The goal isn’t to reach the exact number but to change your programming and introduce new habits. Don’t try to be perfect and add unnecessary pressure on yourself. By reaching your milestones, you’re changing your mindset and introducing new thoughts that make you realize you can do it. The threshold was reached and there’s a new level you can strive towards. But even if you fail, that doesn’t mean you completely gave up. Start with where you left off.
Look for passion projects and hobbies
Dealing with a chronic condition will make you think about it a lot. You may find yourself having thoughts about it most of the time. From “why me?” to “what’s going to give me a flare-up next?” Every single thing you do might be influenced in some way by your illness. That’s why it’s important to have moments when you’ll completely be present and forget about it. Find a hobby that will keep your mind occupied. Have scheduled non-negotiable times when you’ll only focus on your passions. It’s a huge part of your healing journey.
Relax
So much easier said than done, I know. But this is crucial. If you’re not able to relax, your body isn’t able to heal. Your body is making sure you can survive right now by producing stress hormones to prepare you for a physical confrontation. This is absolutely normal when you feel threatened by something or someone. Being diagnosed with a chronic condition might produce constant fears of something going terribly wrong. It is a threat and a very valid one. But you have an option to change your perspective. Before you do that, understand where the fear comes from and why. Recognize it and accept it. Then change your thinking. Your illness might be a gateway to something far bigger than all the hardships you’re going through right now. If you still don’t know what that bigger thing is, give yourself time to understand. Here are some things you can do to relax:
- Meditate – Observe your thoughts and fears. Don’t try to get rid of them, just recognize they’re there.
- Take care of yourself – Have at least one self-care day every week where you’ll introduce routines and habits aimed at making you feel better in your own skin.
- Talk to others – Sharing your fears will release them. Don’t hold on to them. There are a lot of people who can help you deal with it.
- Breathe – Take things easy, step by step and breathe through the fear.
- Go for a walk – Change your environment and distract yourself with a walk in your backyard or street.
Conclusion
Having goals will help you stay on track on your health journey. Set goals that are measurable and provide an insight into your progress. This will motivate you to keep going even when you don’t feel like it. Start by looking at your daily routine and making small improvements that you feel comfortable about and want to keep doing. Once you’ve built your habits, create new ones or set higher goals. Remember to be kind to yourself. Don’t add unnecessary pressure to yourself by trying to be perfect or hitting the exact numbers you’ve set initially. Failure will be a part of your healing journey. Your healing journey won’t be liner. It will be full of ups and downs. Pick yourself up from where you left of and keep going. And relax, help your body restore and heal.