September 28, 2004

My Visitor

For the past couple of days, my ol' buddy Fatigue has come to visit. It's the same stuff with him: overstays his welcome and leaves me tired out, without helping with the laundry or the dishes!

I tend to be the kind of person that is intolerant of being tried. I try to make it a mind over matter situation, and this is often not good for me.

But, as usual, I do have some things that I do to overcome that unwanted houseguest, Fatigue:

1. Plenty of sleep. The old adage of "early to bed, early to rise makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise" applies here. Fatigue usually requires a full 8 hours of shut-eye for as many nights in a row as possible.


2. Eat good foods. While I might feel like my body is going to shut down at any moment, a meal of junk-food snacks isn't giving me the fuel I need to get better. Fruit, veggies and protein work better than corn chips, ice cream sandwiches and a box of crackers when it comes to getting on with it.


3. Asking for help. This one should be my #1 because it is the one I'm the absolute worst at. But asking for help is the critical factor to dealing with exhaustion caused by RA. Delegating chores or work to others... and not feeling guilty about it.


4. Recharging psychologically. For me this is reading, listening to music and meditating.


5. Taking breaks in the day to rest and recharge. Often, I go for a massage, too, when I need it. I don't know if the massage helps the RA, but it relaxes the overused muscles and works out the knots of tension that cause my RA to be more difficult to manage. The other thing is a power nap -- 20 to 40 minutes -- that allows the body to relax and repair before moving on with a busy day. If I can't get a power nap, I'll take 15 minutes and have a cup of tea or something else relaxing.

The worst part about RA is the things I can't control. But flare-ups and fatigue can be managed. Which reminds me, I need to go get my tea kettle started and put on some soft music. Nothing like trying to follow my own advice.

Posted by renee | Filed under:

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