How to Create a Flexible Routine While Managing a Chronic Illness
A structured daily routine can help you stay on task and get things done. Whether it’s cooking breakfast every morning, practicing meditation, or checking your emails, having a set schedule can keep you productive and feeling accomplished at the end of the day. But, when dealing with an invisible illness, things can get tricky.
What happens when you’re too tired to cook in the morning? What if your doctor’s appointment took so long that you don’t have any energy to do yoga before bed? Or, even worse, you encounter an unexpected flare that keeps you confined to your bed for the rest of the day. It can be a little more challenging for people with chronic illness to stick to a structured routine without any wiggle room for such situations.
To allow more time in your day to prepare for the unexpected, here are six tips for creating a flexible routine while managing a chronic illness.
Be realistic
Before creating a flexible routine, it’s crucial to make realistic expectations. Setting a realistic routine can make it more sustainable and allow you to breathe when your schedule goes awry. For example, if you visit the doctor’s office regularly, you may want to avoid doing a lot of work on those days and focus on resting and recouping.
Learn how to use your spoons
As many of us with invisible illnesses may know, we start each day with a set of spoons that represent the limited energy we can give to daily responsibilities. With this in mind, once you understand your spoons better, you can figure out how many tasks you can do each day and your limitations.
Keep things simple
It’s easy to dive right into setting a flexible routine that is super detailed and structured. But, because of the unpredictability of our chronic illnesses, you don’t want to set expectations that can be challenging to do . So, for example, if cleaning the house is part of your routine, try breaking the task into smaller tasks. Split up times to clean certain rooms so that you don’t spend all your energy on such a large chore.
Figure out your most productive hours
Are you an early bird or a night owl? Everyone has their own prime time each day, the hours when you’re the most productive. For some people, that could be working early in the morning or late in the evening. Figuring out when you’re the most productive can help you shape a flexible routine that allows you to get work done, rest, and do activities you enjoy the most.
Add in some me time
Of course, it’s always essential to include some time in your routine for self-care. Whether it’s reading, journaling, or watching movies, find something that makes you feel good. Creating a flexible schedule can help you get tasks done and give you some well-deserved time.
Be prepared
As mentioned before, living with a chronic illness means staying on alert in case things go wrong. Every chronic illness has its own difficulties that cause mental, physical, and emotional limitations. When you know which challenges you can face with your condition, your flexible routine allows you to address those challenges when they arise and leave room to recover.
Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what a flexible routine means, but these tips can help guide you as you create a new schedule tailored around you and your invisible illness.
How Chronius Can Help
If living with chronic illness feels like a full time job, you aren’t alone.
That’s why at Chronius, we make it easy to navigate the healthcare system as a patient. Our online care management platform brings together all of your health records and offers a 1-click appointment prep tool that easily synthesizes your health story for your care team. You also can track all of your symptoms, identify trends, learn from vetted medical information, and follow a custom patient journey map. Plus, if you needs hands on support, our Care Advocates are available to help you with any issues you may hit up against. Personalized support as you navigate your care journey is what we are all about.
Interested in learning more and signing up for our waitlist? Claim your spot today.
