This week’s episode is a solocast in response to a listener question about the best way to manage your self-care when you’re dealing with chronic health problems. We know exercise is good for us, but some health issues leave us feeling like we’d rather do anything but. We also know some foods exacerbate our symptoms, but our pain levels leave us wanting to reach for that double-chocolate fudge whatsit for comfort.
So how do we balance our energy levels and willpower to make decisions that are good for us in the short- and long-term?
The episode: How to manage your self-care when you have chronic health problems
I’m sharing a few brief thoughts and ideas in this episode, including:
- How to ask for help when you need it
- How to maintain healthy habits and manage your self-care when you don’t have the energy
- How to separate your identity from how your feel
…and more.
I’ve kept these fairly general and tried to make them applicable to dealing with most health issues, rather than a select few. Hope it’s helpful!
P.S. An additional post-recording afterthought: if you have specific dietary restrictions and are tempted to break them when you’re tired or feeling poorly, I recommend deliberately adding activities to your day that are enjoyable/comforting/soothing that don’t involve food. Make a list in advance so you have it to hand when you need it.
[Tweet “Struggling with all or nothing? Embrace #WYCWYC (what you can, when you can)”]
[Tweet “No one is going to take care of you for you.”]
[Tweet “Ask: “What is one thing I can do today that my future self will thank me for?””]
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Intro and outro: Stephanie Murphy
Image: Devin Rajaram
