Do Not Give up, Adapt

When you have psoriatic arthritis, there is one thing that really comes to light and that is how much you have to give up. Some days it truly can feel the pain of the condition just come into your life and strip away what you value most.

I think for a lot of people, sacrificing hobbies must be the hardest. When we cannot spring out of bed on a Saturday morning and have a day in the garden. Well, we could but we will pay a dear price days after.

These are the things that we value for ourselves and without knowing it, we attach a lot of value to them. Essentially, these are things that make up a large part of who we are.

Adapting our lifestyle when living with psoriatic arthritis

Some people, often those who do not have the same condition as we do, will say some really silly things. "Get over it or "Start something new". These comments can get even the calmest version of me riled up.

There is so much more to it than that. It is a very easy statement to make when you have never had to give up something that you love and invest your time into. Something that is a part of who you are.

Change comes gradually

Though it feels like overnight when you look back at it. However, if you pinpoint when it started, you might notice that there are small markers and moments that came before the storm. If you notice that you are failing to keep up with yourself, start slow and space the days. Challenge yourself and see if you can do less at a time.

It can be quite the mind game to get around and it will take regular reminders. But you can do this and can find ways that work for you. And I do know that it won’t be the same and it will be different. It will take time but it's important to try.

Find ways to modify & adapt

Whatever your hobby is, see if you can find ways to adapt them or shorten the time or do it less often. If there is really no way to make this work then maybe it is time to look at something new, first exhaust all your options to make your favorites work.

If you loved gardening and you can no longer handle the long days and physical work, look into options for adapting your garden. Raised beds and more efficient tools might make the work easier. Don’t give up and walk away from it altogether. If you are an avid cyclist or runner, adapt your routes and your equipment to make your life easier.

It is terrible when your body does not want to do what it used to always do with ease. Giving up is worse though. This feeling will pass.