This is a sponsored post through the Chronic Illness Bloggers Network. Although I have received compensation for this post, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Here’s a fun fact you probably didn’t know about this blog: both of the main writers have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. If you’re not in the know, it’s a genetic collagen disorder that means we’re super bendy our ,joints hurt and move out of place. There’s more to it than that, of course, but you get the gist of it. As chronically ill people, self care is vitally important to our physical and mental well being. Self Care Mvmt gets this.
Brought to you by Self Care Catalysts, a patient solutions company. Self Care Mvmt is trying to change the way we think about chronic illness and the way we manage it by celebrating the greatness in ordinary accomplishments that patients face everyday.
As someone with random joint dislocations, things that healthy people take for granted can be hard for me. And when people ask how I’m doing? They mean in a medical, clinical way. They’re not talking about how my daily life is going, and they’re not talking about the things I do to survive or potentially feel better. They’re talking charts and tests, not about the fact that I need to sit down and drink a cup of tea because I’ve managed to stress myself into a migraine when I should really just breathe.
Self Care looks different for everyone. For some people, it’s hanging out with friends in low key activities. For some, it’s eating healthy meals and avoiding processed food. For my mom, the other chronically ill person on this blog, it’s probably reading. She loves to escape into a good book or the latest copy of a magazine. For me? Don’t laugh. It’s power walking.
Yep, I’m being serious here. Power walking.
My chronic illness necessitates that any exercise I do is low impact and not very strenuous. However, as many people with chronic illness know, exercise is a great way to help manage your mental and physical health. So although I’ve got a lifetime ban from yoga and running, I’ve found an exercise that I can do without damaging my joints. Even better, it’s an exercise I enjoy. (Everyone knows you’re more likely to exercise if you like what you’re doing.)
The benefits of walking, for me, are numerous. It gets me outside, which boosts my Vitamin D and my mood. I usually walk with a friend or family member, which lets me get in a dose of socialization that I might not get if we sat at home watching TV. It lets me spend bonding time with my baby, who can ride in a carrier on my chest. It lets me explore new parts of my city on our various walking trails, warding off that ominous cabin fever that comes with so many parts of chronic illness. I have been known to treat myself to a coffee or a gluten free treat after a long walk, but hey. That’s self care too, right? You gotta treat yourself sometimes.
Self Care Mvmt wants you to find the self care that works for you, just like I’ve found the self care routine that works for me and my chronic illness. Find them on Instagram , Twitter , and Facebook.
What do you do for self care?
It is really important to take care of ourselves to make us feel better and also to be able to take care of those we love and around us.
I really need to step up my game, I have gone seriously lazy and am piling on the pounds! Its so important to look after yourself and however is best for you
My life can be a whirl sometimes. Taking time to myself is rare but needs to happen more often.
i am so busy sometimes and I forget to give myself some serious self care. Im trying to do better by getting myself better in shape!
Self care is definitely important. Without it everything else breaks apart.
Hurrah that you can get so many benefits from the walking. I bet the baby loves going along too!
Its nice to see that youre able to power walk even if you cant run. I hate running. Its just bad on my joints in general, but i do need to get out and walk more.
I love that you’re doing something that benefits you and your health. Self care is definitely important. There are plenty of things that you can do to take good care of yourself, to be honest, I find walking really relaxing. It helps me think.
It is surprising at just how much walking can help our bodies. I just recently started taking care of myself after years of taking care of others. Self care is so important.
I have to admit, I’m the worst at taking care of myself every day because I’m so busy. Me time is a must!
My sister has a congenital heart defect and has to be mindful of the strain she puts on her heart. Walking is a great way for her to maintain her exercise routine also. I love walking as a way to get outside, breathe fresh air, and unwind.
I’ve been thinking about self care lately and things I need to do to be healthier. Thanks for the reminder!
Oh, this is a very good reminder for many of us…we tend to forget the thing that we must be doing like exercise
Chronic illness is something I deal with every day. I know exactly what you mean about how you make yourself stress and than it turns to a migraine because this happens to me too. Exercise of any kind that you enjoy is so important for those with chronic illness/ pain. Self Care Mvmt is something I am going to have to check out for sure. Thanks for sharing your experiences and the information.
I am guilty of not following a regular exercise routine. I do walk and use the stairs at work but I always feel I should do more. I also suffer from a chronic illness, Type 2 Diabetes and I should practice more self care. Thank you for the timely reminder.
Taking care of yourself is SO important! I recently got a fitbit and have been walking more and staying active each day. I’ve also started eating a lot better.
This is so inspiring! Health care can be different for every person. What’s easy for us might be a big challenge for others. You are an inspiration!
It is so important to always take care of yourself, best you can even with chronic illness. Glad you shared this post and your story with us to help everyone.
What a positive post! Walks are great, I used to be great about self care, but lately, I’m not doig too well at taking care of myself!
I also suffer from a chronic illness. My self care involves eating healthy and resting when I need to. It took me a while to not feel lazy for taking a nap mid-day, but if my body feels like it needs it, I do it without a second thought now.
Walks are great for the body and also for the soul! I take walks when Im stressed and need some time to myself. It’s great to just listen to the sounds of life and not really think about anything else.
What a great post. It becomes even more important to take care of yourself when you have a chronic illness. Good for you for figuring out what recharges you mentally and physically.
What an inspiring post. I love power walking and kudos to you for being so committed to it!
This is such a great post. We often get busy and forget to make ourselves a priority.
This is great. Taking care of yourself is a must. As a mom, we tend to forget ourselves. I’m trying to get back into a routine myself for my health 🙂
It’s great that walking is helpful and enjoyable for you! I do think figuring out what kind of self care works best is important.
As a mom it’s so easy to forget abut “yourself” and put everyone else before you but self care is so important. I love hiking and an trying to find the time to do it more often.
Taking care of ourselves is something that is extremely important, yet also something we tend to let slip between the cracks. I find it wonderful you have found something that works well for you.
This speaks to me. I really need to get on top of this now that baby has arrived. I’ve been kind of back and slacking. So this needs to be top on my list!
I love going on walks after a long day. It’s such a great way to get in some exercise while getting some much needed me time!
It is so easy to put our needs aside!! I am struggling with getting a hold of self care, but it is so important in life.
I think in order to help people to is to honest about your story, so thank you for sharing. I do believe that find a way to do self care for you is important, only do what you know that your body can handle.
Thank you for being so candid about the challenges you face and for inspiring me to take better care of myself. After reading this I am going to go to the gym because you convinced me that self care needs to be on my to do list!
Oh man, I need a good kickstart to living healthier! I notice that I’m so much happier when I’m taking care of my body!
Walking is great exercise for the mind and body. I have rheumatoid arthritis and have major issues w/ my joints too. Everyone (that is clueless about joint issues) keeps telling me yoga is the answer and I keep telling them yoga is not a possibility for me. Walking is about the only thing I can do too so I like to do plenty of it!
Any little bit helps when it comes to exercise. Just getting up and getting moving helps your body feel better. It’s so important.
I know that exercise key to keeping the body healthy! I am trying to get myself healthy and I am really paying attention to what I am doing to get healthy!
I love this post! Our health is the biggest thing in our life that we can improve. When we are more healthy, everything else is just better.