Living with a chronic illness means that each day is full of the unknown. Yes, you may have plans or expectations for the day, but that can all change instantly with a flare of a symptom, or worse, symptoms. Throw a career into the equation, and there’s a real problem. Is it possible to work at home or the office when the days are unexpected? How can one be successful in a career with a chronic illness? And how does your professional self-care impact a career?
This is a sponsored post for Self Care Catalysts. I have been compensated through the Chronic Illness Bloggers network. All opinions remain my own, and I was not influenced by the company.
If you had told me three years ago that I would someday have a successful website and write for various companies, including an international magazine, The Fibromyalgia Magazine, I would not have believed you. I would not have thought it possible to accomplish much of anything with the condition and symptoms I was experiencing at the time. Getting through a typical day with the daily demands of my family was more than enough, much less any additional work.
Yes, I did complete my bachelor’s degree and much of my master’s degree, but that was under different circumstances and before I was diagnosed. Doctors told me my pains were normal and that my daily struggles were just a part of motherhood. Because I didn’t want to seem like a complainer or seek special treatment, I hid my pain and suffering through multiple jobs and various classes. I dove into my studies, work, and daily family life like a “normal” person. It wasn’t easy, but I made it, and I accomplished more than I thought possible.
Once I did receive a diagnosis after reaching my mental limit of pain, I realized how much more pain I put my body through by not listening to it. Not taking the cues to rest, staying up all night to study, or avoiding the foods that upset my stomach further damaged my body. I vowed to neglect my body no longer. This is the one body God blessed me with, broken and all, and I was not going to abuse it any longer. Things changed.
That was when I decided to start this blog, Being Fibro Mom. I wanted others to know they are not alone in their illness; there are others out there, and many of us are parents. We have goals and aspirations, and we don’t need to put those dreams on hold because we are living with a chronic illness. We want to do more than survive fibromyalgia – we want to thrive in our lives. Hence my tagline, “helping fibro sufferers become fibro thrivers.” However, if I was going to do this, I needed to set up a successful environment.
For the last few years, I have been trial and error in finding the best professional self-care for my body, but in the last six months, I have found some effective methods. There still needs to be some fine-tuning for the changing of the seasons, such as summer time and the school year, but for the most part, it’s successful.
Here are more than 25 effective ways I practice professional self-care to be successful in a career while managing a chronic illness.
1. Take meal breaks
I habitually ate most of my meals in front of the computer in my office while I worked. Typing would only break to shove a forkful of food in my mouth quickly. (Okay, maybe not a forkful because the most leisurely meal at my desk was a sandwich.) This was one of the first bad habits I nixed. Now, I take all meal breaks entirely away from my office. I sit with my husband and/or kids at the dining room table for each meal. I do not discuss my work, which keeps the conversation light and humorous.
2. Eat healthy meals and snacks
Grabbing a bit of chocolate or drinking a soda may seem the best afternoon pick-me-up, but it only harms your body more than reasonable. The crash that follows that burst of energy leaves you feeling more tired than before eating or drinking it. Instead, I sip on herbal teas that contain herbs to boost energy or eat natural energy-boosting foods naturally. And not just in the afternoons when I feel the most sluggish. I regularly incorporate these foods and teas throughout my days to stay ahead of the slump. I still feel tired in the afternoons, especially after errands or writing all day, but it’s not nearly as bad.
3. Limit distractions
I had a bad habit of clicking on every notification. Each click led to another click to yet another click. Next thing I know, it’s thirty minutes later on Facebook or Pinterest (pins are a weakness for me – aren’t they effective at drawing you in?) with no task accomplished. Now, I turn off all notifications while working to better concentrate on the task. Distractions include cell phone notifications, social media networks, television, and any other interruption that will disrupt the flow of thinking. Focus on one task at a time and stop all other activities. Turn off the wi-fi if working offline.
4. Stretch, Move
Taking regular breaks is essential to prevent body stiffness and achy joints. If the weather permits, my husband and I walk in the garden to check on our plants. Stretching out on the couch or floor feels great on my back and legs. Doing restorative yoga in small chunks also benefits the body when sitting all day. The Washington Post published an article about The Health Hazards of Sitting a couple of years ago, which also contains simple exercises to prevent these harmful effects. Who knew that sitting could damage various body parts, such as the heart and brain?
5. Healthy Doses
Healthy Doses is a collection of inspiring quotes to motivate you and can bring mindfulness, optimism, gratitude, love, or humor to your day. The feature I like is that the app allows you to save the daily quip to your log for future re-reading. One of my personal favorites is the quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson:
Healthy Doses is a tool on the Health Storyline app. The Health Storyline app is a FREE app created by Self Care Catalysts, and was created for patients to become more empowered and better advocates for their health. To get to the daily healthy doses:
- From the home page of the Health Storylines app, select “Healthy Doses.”
- Choose which type of motivation is needed – gratitude, optimism, love, fun, or mindfulness.
- Once selected, choose to save it or not. To save, click ‘save it.’
- It will be saved in your Healthy Doses History if you choose to save it. From here, you can access all the past ones using the orange arrows by the date near the top of the page and comment on any thoughts.
6. Set a work schedule
And stick to it! This is the most challenging habit to change. Notice I use ‘is’ because I’m still working on it. Ideally, I want to work Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., which is similar to an office. When the kids are at school, I can focus on my work and complete it by the time they get home. Without worrying about work, I can then focus on my children, dinner, homework, or other family-related tasks.
This goal is more realistic during the school year. Summertime is a whole other story. (I’ll let you know when I figure it out! And if you have any advice, please let me know.)
7. Good sleep hygiene
Along with setting a work schedule, there must be a sleep schedule. Sleep is hard to come by with a chronic illness, I know, but setting hours to be in bed will make sleep easier. Read more about the fibromyalgia sleep-wake cycle and 13 tips for quality sleep.
8. Say no
Saying ‘no’ was hard for me to learn in the early stages of being diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I’m such a ‘yes’ person, no matter how big or impossible the task may be. Being an Aries with a type A personality makes me a problem solver by default. If there’s a problem, whether mine or that of a stranger, I will worry about it until I solve it. That’s just how I am. It was, anyway.
I’ve learned the hard way that it’s not realistic for me always to say ‘yes.’ Saying yes obligates me, my time (my time is more precious to me than money), and worse still, it stresses my body. Stress + Fibro = flare = no fun.
When asked to do something, no matter how big or small, I consider my resources—physical, emotional, mental, financial, and spiritual. Then, I weigh the effect on those resources to reach my yes or no answer. Saying no doesn’t make me a bad person or unreliable. It makes me a better decision-maker, resulting in a dependable resource for myself, my family, and others.
9. Know your deadlines
When you have made an obligation with anyone, know the tasks’ requirements and, most importantly, any deadlines associated with the task. Mark it on a calendar with several reminders leading up to those deadlines. If possible, break the assignment into more manageable chunks and set mini-deadlines for those chunks. This makes the task more realistic and not so overwhelming. And remember – there’s no penalty for completing it early and meeting the deadline ahead of schedule.
10. Listen to your body
Taking cues from your body will limit flares or feelings of anxiety. If you notice your heart rate increasing, a dull pain becoming more pronounced, or your joints becoming stiff, take action sooner rather than later. Ignoring these signs can trigger a migraine or bring on a flare-up in symptoms, leaving you out of work for a period of time; thus, it becomes counterproductive.
11. Set a timer
When working, time can move faster than you notice. Set a timer for each task to prevent time from slipping away from you. This will help you stay on track and meet any deadlines on time. Knowing your biggest time suckers is essential, too. For me, Facebook and Pinterest are my biggest time suckers. I like interacting with my Fibro Parenting group and reading all the pinned articles I can about fibromyalgia. One hour can zip by in no time!
Setting a small desk timer helps me stay on track. I usually set it for fifteen minutes for each small task and immediately move on once the time is up. Having a timer keeps me focused and prioritizes the needs of each task, making me more efficient with my time.
Like this pineapple timer, a cute kitchen timer keeps the mood light and more entertaining.
12. Keep a journal
Keeping a journal is a way to release stress. Recording your feelings allows you to release any pinned-up emotions you may not be aware you are carrying around. A journal will help track your flares and what triggers those flares. Triggers could be your workload, outside stressors, or activity level. Whether it’s a pain journal, emotional journal, or the journal tool through the Healthy Storylines app by Self Care Catalysts, keeping a journal is an effective healing method. Either way, it’s a way for you to express yourself.
To use the Health Storyline My Journal tool:
- Select ‘My Journal’ from the app’s home page.
- Select which topic you’d like to use for the journal entry, then type the entry in the ‘Entry’ box. Select the privacy of the entry using the block box ‘Who can view this story’ in the bottom left. To submit the entry, click ‘Add to journal’.
- Use the orange arrows near the top of the page to review all journal entries by date. If you’d like to comment on an entry, select it from the list and click ‘Click on a response to leave a comment.’
- Leave a comment, then click ‘comment’ to submit it.
13. Stay connected with others
Staying connected with others in your niche not only forms future potential networking but also enables thinking outside the box and boosts socializing moods. No matter how great and awesome we think we are (and I AM pretty awesome), we could always use improvement in some way, shape, or form. What better way to make improvements than connecting with others in your field? Remember—stay on task with a timer (refer to number 11).
14. Stay hydrated
It’s easy to lose track of time, but it’s also easy to lose track of staying hydrated. Staying hydrated is crucial to healing and thinking. Most of us are already dehydrated, which is why we feel tired and can’t focus properly. There are many more reasons to stay hydrated, but the bottom line is to feed your energy tanks with water and proper nutrition to feel energized and work optimally.
To help stay hydrated, get a water bottle with ounces marked to track your water intake or get a water bottle infuser to increase your nutrition and water intake.
15. Make a to-do list
Throughout each workday, I encounter tasks that I need to complete. Some are important, and others are less important, but nonetheless, they all need to be completed at some point. Instead of completing the tasks as they arise, I track them on an ongoing list pinned to the bulletin board next to my desk. I make a to-do list for the following work day at the end of each day.
The next day’s daily to-do list consists of tasks I did not complete that day and items from the ongoing list.This allows me to stay on track and keeps me focused. Stay on track with inexpensive to-do lists like these perforated pads.
16. Prioritize your to-do list
Regardless of my symptoms each morning, I prioritize my daily to-do list. I get the most important tasks done first, leaving the less important ones for later in the day. Sorting the tasks in this manner allows me to complete the work in case something unexpected arises later in the day (errand, appointment, flare).
17. Keep the calendar in view
I use two types of calendars: family and work. My family calendar is a large, at-a-glance monthly calendar located in the kitchen. It tracks appointments and other family-related news. Even though it is a family calendar, I still place my work deadlines on it because it reiterates these deadlines and helps me remember them.
My work calendar consists of individual monthly calendars on regular 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheets of paper. I use a pencil to track published posts (past and upcoming), deadlines, and regular weekly tasks such as weekly newsletter publishing days, etc.
18. Daily moods
Knowing, or becoming aware of, your daily moods and how they relate to work is best when setting a schedule or knowing the best times of the day/week to work. The best way to track your moods is to use the Daily Moods tool in the Health Storylines app created by Self Care Catalysts. Your moods can be tracked over time and viewed in the app’s history section.
Using the Daily Moods tool and My Journal (see above for further details) will help you pinpoint what caused your moods to be up or down. Maybe working in the mornings would be better than working in the evenings because you are better rested and in better spirits. The evenings may be better because you are slow to get going in the mornings. Either way, the Daily Moods and the My Journal tool will help determine the best schedule for you and your professional self-care.
To use the Health Storyline Daily Moods tool:
- Select ‘Daily Moods’ from the app’s home page.
- Select your current mood, then type the reason for the mood in the box. If you are uncertain about your current mood, simply write “I don’t know.” Later, when checked against a journal entry for that particular day, going back may reveal the reason for that mood.
- Use the orange arrows near the top of the page to review all moods by date. The moods can also be reviewed by weekly templates. If you’d like to comment on an entry, select the entry from the list and click ‘Click on a response to leave a comment.’
- Leave a comment, then click ‘comment’ to submit it.
19. Use a diffuser
A few weeks ago, a neighbor helped me understand essential oils and how they have helped her get relief from her symptoms. She has fibromyalgia along with a litany of other ailments, and essential oils along with prescribed medications have helped her better cope with her variety of symptoms. Since introducing critical oils, I have used them extensively, and they have helped with moods, nagging symptoms, and alertness.
I currently use a diffuser in my office and drop-in calming blends for focus and body aches. I can switch out the blends on a daily basis depending on my mood or ailment that morning. It doesn’t have an overwhelming scent, creating a peaceful aroma that calms my entire body and mind. It’s a necessity for me. The best part is that it does not use heat and does not add humidity to the air.
There are various diffusers available, but the one I use is a rechargeable diffuser with seven ambient lights and four timer settings (with auto-shutoff).
20. Play soothing music
I always play classical music in the background while I work. Listening to classical music can boost cognitive function and has been shown to produce a calming effect (source: How does the brain respond to Classical music? by Clair McAdams).
21. Open door policy
I actually should call this a “closed-door policy.” Even though I have windows on my office’s French doors, I keep them closed when I need to be left alone. When they are closed, my husband and kids know that this is the cue not to interrupt. It’s a polite way of saying “not right now” without the interruption of a knock and request.
22. Block off hours for important meetings and appointments
When planning each Friday for the following week, I’m sure to block off any hours needed for important meetings, phone calls, appointments, or other obligations. This allows me to plan my work around those blocked times to avoid getting behind schedule or missing a deadline.
23. Natural light
I am fortunate enough to have my office facing the Southern light. Most of the day, my office is swallowed by sunlight, making it bright enough not to need any overhead lights turned on. The abundance of the sun uplifts my mood and decreases fatigue. Studies have shown that workers exposed to natural light have better sleep quality, better sleep efficiency, fewer sleep disturbances, and increased daytime function (source: Exposure to Natural Light Improves Workplace Performance by Christopher Bergland).
24. Setup your office or workplace for success
According to NeoMam Studios, there is a way to set up your office for success. Purple is ideal for the home office because it is associated with creativity and wealth. Using angular lines has been shown to reduce tiredness and increase productivity. Also, natural light improves concentration, and a desk that does not face a wall enhances concentration and creativity (pin this infographic to improve all the rooms in your home).
25. Have a Plan B
No matter how well you plan and how many lists you make, there will still be a day when you cannot work. Sometimes, getting out of bed for any daily life task can be too much, much less for any work tasks. These are the days to have a plan B. Here is my plan B:
It’s okay to give it a rest and not work. Your work will not go anywhere and can be completed when you are feeling well again. One of the worst things you can do when you are feeling ill is to push through it. It only leaves you feeling more exhausted and causes your symptoms to flare. You will feel better soon when you rest.
No matter where you work, how you work, or what you do for work, a successful career is possible when living with a chronic illness. Listen to your body, set yourself up for success, and rest when you can. You can do this.
Great post, Brandi. Some days I feel so disorganized which in turn makes me feel stressed out. You gave a lot of good ideas to make working from home easier. Thanks!
Right now, I feel disorganized every day. This summer has been a lot more busy than past summers. I’m trying to change up my schedule to be more flowing and less stressful. I feel so overwhelmed with the way is currently.
Amazing post! you have been able to say exactly what, I’m sure, many strivers think, starting with me 🙂 Personally I am still at the starting point (three years ago for you) and I don’t need to tell you how useless and uncapable I feel sometimes (at least twice a week :)). Thank you for the “right words” and the tips 😉
I feel the same way about as many times a week (if not more) that you do. It’s a constant struggle, but one that gets easier with time. Thank you for your loyalty to my articles, and leaving thoughtful comments. It means a lot to me. Gentle hugs, friend
Great tips Brandi! I will definitely enact these in my work. Always love your posts 🙂
Thank you!
These tips work with people who are able to work from home or have more control over their work environment.
What of those who work physically demanding jobs and have to force themselves to go, regardless of whether they’re in constant pain and fatigue?
For the most part, these can be customized for the office environment as well. Take breaks, eat the right foods, stay hydrated, and avoid negative people (if possible) would be the most important while at work. While at home, make sure there is a good sleep routine and wind down time in a calming room. The living room, for our family, is the place where we wind down and watch television. I recently read an article stating that the color green is a calming color and mirrors “excite” the energy in the room. So we are repainting our living room to be a light green, accenting the room in greens, and removing the mirrors. I hope this helps. Thank you for the question!
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This is very helpful. I am a SAHM of 4 while battling a chronic illness. I vlog about it on my youtube channel “Surviving As Mom”. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you! It’s certainly not easy to work when you have little ones and a chronic illness. Thank you for the channel name. I’ll check it out!