Image Credit: Bruno Nascimento from Unsplash.
In the recent years *cough, since Covid, cough* I have heard of many chronic conditions rearing their ugly heads in our community and social network.
Not to be a negative nancy, and it probably has nothing to do with Covid, but I’ve often felt the urge to write something on the topic to help those who know or who are dealing with one themselves.
Being diagnosed with a chronic condition is never a pleasant experience. You’ll go through multiple emotions, few of which will be nice.
One of the more common thoughts during this time is how you can manage a chronic condition and still lead a normal life. Many people think this is an almost impossible process, but it doesn’t need to be. Quite the opposite.
While you’ll need to work on quite a few things, it could be simpler than you’d think. Three strategies could help with this.
Manage A Chronic Condition: 3 Simple Strategies
1. Get Professional Help
One of the first things you should do when you’re diagnosed with a chronic condition is to get the help you need. Your medical professional will be the start of this.
After that, it’s a matter of looking into specialists that can help you. A lot of this depends on the type of condition you’re diagnosed with, with some professionals being well-recommended. Musculoskeltal physiotherapy can be a great area to look into, depending on your exact condition remotely. Or check out our resident Exercise Physiologist – Tori! Tori has only recently joined the team but it has been great to see her in action with her clients, the attention to detail and specificity of exercises is more than impressive.
Speak to your current medical professional and do your research so you can figure out the best path forward for you.
2. Get Active When You Can
Most people don’t get as active as they should, even when they don’t have a chronic condition. This is despite how much it can affect their quality of life.
When you’re trying to manage a chronic condition, it’s worth putting some time and effort into this. While you mightn’t be able to get as active as you’d like, it’s worth getting as active as you can as often as you can. It could help you boost your immune system and deal with some of the symptoms you feel.
Don’t push yourself too hard, but try getting active when you can.
3. Manage Your Blood Pressure
One of the more general pieces of medical advice people here is to manage their blood pressure. This is always important, but it’s even more important with a chronic condition.
High blood pressure puts you at risk for other conditions coming up, and it can even exacerbate the symptoms of what you already have. Even low blood pressure can impact your overall quality of life. Nobody wants this to happen, so put some time and effort into it.
A proper diet helps with this. Even getting active, as mentioned above, can be a great way to manage your blood pressure.
Manage A Chronic Condition: Wrapping Up
Trying to manage a chronic condition feels like it’s impossible, especially when you’re first diagnosed with it. It doesn’t have to be this way.
It’s just a matter of focusing on more than a few strategies, with some of these helping more than others. Your medical professional will be the best person to speak to about this, but there are multiple other steps you can take on top of that.
While you’ll still need to make some adjustments to your life, there’s no reason you can’t have a great life going forward.