By Heidi
Johnson-Wright, attorney, adjunct faculty in architecture school, and RA
veteran from Miami
Don’t
neglect your emotional self.
“I had been
dealing with RA for many years when I learned how chronic pain makes you more
susceptible to anxiety and depression,” says Heidi. “And anxiety, in turn,
intensifies your pain severity.”
She suggests
asking yourself if you’re more depressed or anxious than you were before your
RA diagnosis. “Since I realized, I’ve been in and out of talk therapy, which
helps,” she says. “RA fatigue drains you, and the more you’re drained, the more
you hurtle toward depression.” Try mindfulness meditation. “I put on headphones
and listen to a meditation exercise as I’m going to bed,” says Heidi.
“I’ve been
doing this for three years now and find it’s great for those nights I’m not
feeling quite comfortable enough to fall asleep. It helps me focus on my
breathing and distracts me from the discomfort.”
Make life
easy on yourself. “Get past the idea that assistive devices are just for the
elderly,” urges Heidi, who says that being able to function is important to her
well-being. “I keep a reacher stick in every room and use them for everything.”
She also
makes sure everything in her house is accessible. “Before I buy anything for my
home, I do research online and find out the heights of shelves and where the
knobs, buttons and doors are. I keep stuff on my level. In my fridge, I have
all the items that only I consume in places I can reach.
And I put
the cat’s food on a high level of her cat tower.” She uses remotes for her
lamps and low-profile box springs to put her mattress at the right height.
Heidi also relies on a grocery delivery service (ordering multiples of items
when they’re on sale) and a home health aide twice a week to do light housework
and help with personal care.
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