Coping with pain, fatigue or limitations whilst managing your own care
Do you experience pain, do you tire easily, or do you find that your body doesn’t always do what you want it to? If so, everyday self-care tasks can suddenly become very demanding. Taking a shower, getting dressed, preparing a meal or starting your day can then feel like a real struggle. This isn’t just an excuse. These are everyday activities that require a lot of energy and movement. If self-care becomes more difficult, it can affect how you start your day. Perhaps you need to rest first before you can do anything else. Or you might be saving your energy for work, family or appointments, and self-care ends up taking a back seat. In the long run, this can take a heavy toll on you.
What do you notice?
Pain, tiredness or limitations can affect self-care in various ways. Sometimes it is the body that sets the limit. Sometimes it is the number of tasks carried out in quick succession.
You may, for example, notice that:
- you have little energy left after washing or getting dressed;
- pain increases during everyday activities;
- you need more time to get started;
- you put off tasks because you dread them;
- you have to choose between self-care and other things;
- you become irritated or discouraged more easily;
- you do less often what is good for you;
- you need help, even though you would rather not.
Sometimes the outside world doesn’t realise how much effort something takes. That can feel lonely. You may be doing a lot just to keep going, whilst finding it really hard inside.
