My Definition of a Good Day: Living with Psoriatic Arthritis

How I define a good day while living with psoriatic arthritis? Especially since so much has changed since my original diagnosis. One might assume it changed due to living with my level of pain.

They could also surmise that it was caused by a change in circumstance, like living situation, access to better/worse care, or lifestyle change.

Defining a good day with psoriatic arthritis

To be honest, it has nothing to do with any of those things. Instead, it is the result of accepting that this illness was going to be with me for the rest of my life. I've had to learn to adapt when needed and expand the definition of just what is good.

In the beginning, I defined anything and everything as a total failure. This was based on how I felt or what I could or couldn't accomplish before this dreaded chronic illness became a part of my life. As you can imagine, there were not any good days to be had.

What does it mean to have a good day?

After a few very dark years, I was slapped in the face with the reality that I would never feel the same as I did before my diagnosis. On one hand, accepting this felt like giving up. But on the other, it gave me hope. I know it sounds bizarre, but as someone who thrives on finding solutions, I found hope that I could some way to improve my life with psoriatic arthritis.

With that said, my definition of good changes often. There are many factors that I consider when rating my day and pain is just one of them.

Finding acceptance

Accepting that the best day ever would never equal being pain or symptom-free, I learned to enjoy life again. The best day ever is where I accomplished what I set out to do, despite psoriatic arthritis.

It may have required the use of a mobility aid or modifying the process. By focusing less on how it was accomplished and learning to find joy in the fact that I completed what I set out to do, my good days began to increase.

Keep trying

A good day does not mean that I did not struggle to meet my goal. Nor does it always end with successfully finishing my to-do list. It could very well be a day where I tried my best and failed. In the end, the day could have been better, but because I did not give up and kept trying it still ranked as a good day.

"Could have been better" days turn me into an investigator. I inspect and dissect every aspect of it and begin looking to see if there was anything that could be done in the future to improve my day or experience.

A new meaning to a good day

Days that fail to make the good day cut are ones where my body completely failed to cooperate. And by that, I mean that leaving the bed, conversing with others, or writing was simply not possible. When going through a bad spell, having the energy and perspective to a heartfelt conversation or writing just one blog post can result in having a good day.

I never thought that after all these years of living with psoriatic arthritis, that my good days would outnumber the bad. All it took was a different perspective and willingness to do things differently.

How do you define a good day?