Heading out of the House – Managing Uncertainty (Part 1)

Every time you leave the house, there is a large amount of uncertainty.  You don’t know what you will run into or how your body will react to what you do.  It is frustrating because one unexpected thing can cause a flare that lasts for months.  Most people can just do whatever they want whenever they want and not worry about any consequences.  Would this trip to visit my brother for the weekend flare me up for two months?  Will going to the supermarket today mean I am too tired to do anything tomorrow?

My goal when I go out is to have fun without having to sacrifice managing my arthritis.  I don’t want to be in a situation where I am forced to choose between having fun and taking care of myself.  In my experience, if I let myself get to the point of making that decision, then I am going to end up hurting afterwards physically or emotionally (or both!).  Most of my first few years, I felt like I was constantly putting myself in this position, but I eventually developed these strategies which kept me from getting stuck in the same rut, and also kept me from feeling anxious about what might happen.  Because of the length of the advice, I am splitting this into two posts, one about physical tools and one about mental tools.

Physical tools:

1.       Have an escape strategy

2.       Have some physical tools in your arsenal

3.       Plan ahead for routes that will work for you

4.       Ask for help

Mental tools:

1.       Talk to your family and friends about your condition

2.       Listen to your mental state

3.       Don’t be too hard on yourself