When you look at your calendar and want to cry a little, how do you survive it with chronic illness?
Both rigid and flexible routines rule my world and make it all possible. On Sundays, the ONE thing I always make sure happens is I look at my upcoming week on my Google Calendar and transfer it to my paper catch-all planner.
This is the time when I gauge how much energy I need to spend on commitments versus projects for myself. This upcoming week is a doozy so it is “all hands on deck”!
The first thing I do is lower my expectations all around.
How tidy is the living room going to be? Will the kitchen floor get mopped this week? How are dinners being cooked?
When the kids were younger, I planned to buy ready-made meals and cook “dump meals” in the Instant Pot. I try to keep some freezer meal options for times like this as well.
My kids are older teen / young adults now so there are things that I can ask them to do to help out. They already cook a meal one night a week for the family and are used to being super helpful. I will most likely have them do some light cleaning so that I can reserve my energy for our big appointments this week.
Next, I look at my paper planner and block out days to rest and recover.
This week, I have three days blocked off and have written things that I may do on them in case I don’t need as much rest as expected.
I modify my activity.
Anything that can be done with just my laptop will be done in my “soft office” (my bed). Believe it or not, being in bed and having my body supported saves a lot of energy.
The last thing I do is remember that this is temporary.
It’s easy to spiral and think that these hard weeks where you have to place appointments, events, or resting above what you actually would prefer to do are forever. But they are not.
Be gentle with yourself. Make accommodations and find the small spaces in a busy week to find a little joy. Whether it is a good book, TV show, sports, or time with your family. Treat yourself after you do something you do not want to.
This too shall pass and the goal is to allow it to wash over you and for you to not be negatively impacted by it. Think, water off of a duck’s back.
