Self-care
Everyone knows the golden rule - treat others the way you want to be treated. Unfortunately, people with chronic conditions and/or chronic pain are often harder on themselves than on others. We tend to have unrealistically high demands and expectations of ourselves even though it makes us feel worthless and inadequate, which only makes the situation worse in the long run.
In order to be able to deal with all the challenges that chronic pain entails, we need to learn how to practice self-care and give ourselves the best possible chance of managing the situation we're in. So, starting today, make sure that you do at least one nice thing for yourself every day. Here is a list of ideas:
- Go to bed early
- Forgive yourself when you mess up
- Set healthy boundaries
- Spend time with someone you love
- Light candles and take a warm bath
- Ask for help
- Don't say you're fine when you aren't
- Unfollow negative people on social media
- Cut toxic people out of your life
- Take a long walk outside
- Do yoga
- Learn a new hobby
- Spend an entire afternoon doing absolutely nothing
- Take breaks at work
- Rest when you need to
- Say no
- Skip or put off tasks that aren't absolutely necessary
- Leave work early
- Schedule some alone time
- Call in sick for work if you're not feeling well
- Buy something you wouldn't normally buy because it's too expensive
- Eat healthy food
- Watch your favorite TV-show
- Bake your favorite dessert
- Meditate
- Listen to a motivational podcast
- Write down your feelings in a journal
- Accept and embrace your imperfections
- Go to a spa or get a pedicure
- Turn off your phone
- Watch the night sky and look for star constellations