Be Gentle With Yourself

Psoriatic arthritis can be debilitating, frustrating, and all-consuming. When you wake up in the morning, you do not know what kind of day is waiting for you. Some days you need to stay in bed and other days, you get a glimpse of the person you were before. Moving with some ease and getting through the day without falling on a heap. Even if you know what your triggers are and you make the effort to manage your lifestyle correctly. A flare can show up out of nowhere, flooring you for days on end. Just like our days are variable, I like to remember that we are allowed to also show up for ourselves in different ways on different days. It is important to just show up for yourself.

How can you show yourself kindness?

Kindness. What a beautiful way to show someone that there are good people out there. There are people out there who will sit and listen. I am really good at sharing kindness with other people, it is second nature to me. However, I have had to learn to be kind to myself. Please do this, learning to be kind to yourself is one of the best gifts that you can give yourself. It is not going to happen by itself, it is a practiced and learned skill. You are so deserving of kindness, in particular, kindness from yourself. Treat yourself as one of your loved ones. Dealing with psoriatic arthritis is draining and being kind to yourself can help make this journey less damaging.

How can your healthcare team help?

You do not have to do this alone, reach out to your healthcare team. Whether it is a mental health check-in, new symptoms that are showing up, or a renewal of medication and follow-up. Make that appointment, and keep that appointment. Jot down your thoughts before you go and get the most out of your appointment. Look into treatments that are available and chat with your doctor.

Is it worth changing your psoriatic arthritis treatment?

It does not matter how long you have had psoriatic arthritis, take a deep breath, and revisit your options. Sometimes it is worth looking at things that are possibly not working or could be working better and seeing what you and your healthcare team can do you make your treatment more effective.

Is there a right way to cope?

I am here to remind you, you are doing alright, wherever you are in your journey with your psoriatic arthritis. You are doing alright. Whether your days are good or really hard at the moment, you are doing okay.

Be kind to yourself, do what you can, and rest when you must. I do understand that this is not always so simple, we have lives and jobs, and families that are demanding our time and attention. There are bills to pay and laundry to be done. Please remember that you are doing alright.

What does showing up for yourself look like?

Sometimes showing up for yourself looks like staying in bed all day and resting till you have the energy to get up. It can look like taking a day off work and spending the day in a slow way, a long bath, and sitting in the garden. Some days showing up for yourself looks like taking your medication, doing your hair, and going to work. Showing up for yourself could be asking a loved one to look after the kids and having takeaways. I do not believe that there is a right and wrong way for this. Just like psoriatic arthritis is so individual to each of us. How we show up for ourselves is no different

How do you show up for yourself?