Karen and Arthritis: 12 Steps to Coping with a Chronic, Debilitating Disease

Karen and Arthritis

12 Steps to Coping with a Chronic, Debilitating Disease

By Karen Ager

1. CRY - Give yourself permission to cry. Let IT out.

2. BE ANGRY - It's okay to be angry. Scream and shout IT out.

3. HUG - Hug someone and let them hug you. It helps!

4. ACCEPT - Accept that you have this condition without giving into the disease. Don’t waste time and energy by living in denial.

5. SELF - EDUCATE - Learn all that you can about your disease so that you can empower yourself with knowledge. Prepare for your Doctor's appointments and go armed with questions.

6. CONTROL - Balance your life in every dimension - health, social, work, spiritual, relationships. You must learn to take "YOU" time - rest, exercise, learn to say "NO" and laugh.

7. SHARE - Unburden yourself of the secrecy. Trust the goodwill of human nature and share your burden. Family, friends, workmates, classmates and even strangers on the street will understand you a lot better if you talk to them. Sharing doesn’t mean you’re asking for or expecting sympathy. Talking about it simply helps others to understand you.

8. CONNECT - Talk to other people who have chronic or debilitating diseases. There are many of US in this world. Log on, Blog, attend a Foundation meeting, or call someone. You are not alone.

9. SET GOALS - Set a small daily goal. Then try some achievable but challenging short term goals. When you are ready, try some long term goals. Keep these goals as your focus every day. Try something simple at first like exercising for ten minutes every day; when you achieve this goal, try extending the time by 5 minutes, or decide to work on a particular part of the body.

10. ENCOURAGE OTHERS - Encourage and inspire others to follow these steps. Your story will inspire them. You will then attract positive energy. This will energize you!

11. DO A DAILY RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS - Try to do one small thing for someone else in your day. This will help shift the focus off yourself and your pain. It will also make you feel GREAT!

12. TRUST, STOP AND BE CALM. Take a moment in your day to be still and to affirm that you trust yourself and others. If you have a faith, then pray. If you believe in God then trust Him and think of your disease as His presence rather than his absence. But most of all stop, be calm and ‘still your mind and body’. Let go of everything, even if it’s just for a moment.

Karen in Snow