M is for Making It Through the Day
When you have any sort of chronic illness (i.e. one that doesn’t have a cure), it’s a marathon, not a sprint. You have to take it one day at a time. And some days are easier than others.
It’s good to track and see what times are most difficult for you. For many people, the week before their period will be especially rough…PMS is no joke. I tend to struggle during the winter and around the holidays. The spring and summer, on the other hand, are when I feel mentally best. When you know what times are most likely to be difficult, you can plan for them.
One way I cope while in a rough patch is to do a habit tracker. This is basically a graph where you set habits you wish to accomplish every day, then you mark when you do them and what your mood is that day. Then you can see which habits correlate to higher moods.
These are the habits that I track:
Get dressed in non-pajamas
Go outside
Exercise
Crochet
Read for fun
Use planner or habit tracker
Writing or work on therapy
Connect with a friend
Watch ASMR videos
After many months of doing this, I found that the above habits are most correlated with elevating my mood and helping with anxiety. Getting dressed goes a long way in making me feel more put together. Crochet and writing help me express myself. Connecting with a friend makes me feel less alone and more supported. Outside time grounds me, and exercise, even though I hate it, makes my brain do the happy chemicals that I need. Reading is just plain fun, and ASMR helps a lot with my anxiety.
I don’t accomplish all of these goals every day. But when I’m having a hard time, this is what I return to.
Some days are harder than others. When the hard days come, I try to remember that the good ones will come around again, too. My favorite quote from John Green: “Your now is not your forever.” And a Bible verse that I really like: “For everything there is a season.” Hang in there, because better times are coming.