When it comes to lupus, everyone has their own individual challenge. It can be fatigue, or pain, or both. It can change and fluctuate in intensity.
For me, it was the simple act of just walking.
My joints were so red, swollen, and painful that I pretty much had to lay around and remain inactive. Steps were the worst. I silently envied people who could walk with ease.
Eventually, all my muscles atrophied. It took discovering my gluten sensitivity, correcting my vitamin deficiencies and hormone imbalances, and taking a slew of functional testing to develop my muscular build again.
I will admit that even when I was feeling better, I was very intimidated by the gym or even doing yoga.
I was fearful of stressing out my body and feeling like hell the next day. I mean, even a gentle massage would put me out of commission for days. Some days, my very scalp hurt.
But I had to be patient with myself and my body. I had to learn to take it all very slowly. Trust me, my body would tell me right away if it was too much.
I started to become very attuned to what my body wanted and what my limits were.
We all get into a habit of pushing ourselves past our limits, only to regret it the next day.
We work too much, too hard, hardly sleep, and get by without lunch or dinner. Would we do that to a toddler?
No, we wouldn’t.
But we need to start treating ourselves with the utmost care and love, just like we would a toddler.
Feeding ourselves nutritious food, giving ourselves 7-9 hours of sleep per night and knowing our limits are all part of that self-care.
I know what you are thinking: that you need to work, you have a family, work 2 jobs, etc. But guess what? You are just as important as your family and you have a chronic illness. You need these self-care techniques even MORE than most people!
So today, I’m asking you: what are your lupus challenges?
I want to hear what lupus has caused you to struggle with on a daily basis. And do you have any cool suggestions that work for you?
Have a beautiful week!