Staying Healthy During Transitions

Living with rheumatoid arthritis for most of my life, I’ve had plenty of time to figure out what helps and hurts me daily. Like many people, that doesn’t mean I always use this knowledge! We all struggle with parts of managing life, disease or not, and like everything RA-related, illness adds an extra layer of challenge to every life decision.

My fear of missing out

I love being around other people, but I also have a harder time staying well-rested when I’m with others because I hate sitting things out. I know that, ideally, my body needs a lot of rest, a certain amount of exercise, and as little added stress as possible. In a perfect world, I could do all those things for myself daily, but in the real world, I figure if I get it 80% right most days, that’s a good effort.

Going through a big life change

Lately, I’ve been staying with my family as I’m transitioning into another house, and I don’t see my family much, so when I get that opportunity, I want to take advantage of it. When I’m spending time with my nieces over spring break and hearing cries of, “Aunt Kathryn can you play quiddler?” at 8 pm when I’m usually starting to wind down for the night, I have a tough time saying no.

My brain is reminding me of the consequences of getting too tired, but it’s also imagining all the giggling that’s about to happen if I sit down for the game. So, I’ve learned to listen to my body enough to know when to draw the line; some nights, I have to say no, but if I say yes at least once, I won’t feel as sad when they leave.

Not in my usual routine

As I’m living through this huge transition- selling and building a house- I feel grateful that I’m supported and can make this happen. But I also realize the cost to my body. I haven’t had my own space for months now, and I haven’t been able to consistently keep to the routine that I know works the best for me.

I have periods of really stressful decisions around my new house, whirlwinds of responsibilities that drain me, and then periods of being on “vacation” with my family or boyfriend where I am living with other people with their life stresses, trying to be there for them without letting their stress affect me too much. The two consequences I’m having right now are increased pain and sleep issues, so far nothing major but also not insignificant, and I’m starting to figure out a strategy for the last phase of this transition.

Trying to find a healthy balance

I realize that I need to take every opportunity to rest whenever possible and stick to some semblance of the routine that works for me so I don’t start flaring. That means I need to speak up a bit more about my needs and say no to more things so that I have the energy to deal with the stresses that will inevitably come up. I also realize that some discomfort during this time is natural and that all of the uncertainty I’m living with right now will end at some point in the near future.

Transitions are scary, exciting, and part of life; even good transitions can be hard. Making sure that I don’t get too off-balance during transitions means that once I get to the other side of it, I can be better able to enjoy my new life.