MY LIFE: 10 Things I need to remind myself to stop doing

Every chronic illness warrior makes mistakes. Most of us make some over and over. I definitely do. Old habits are hard to break, right? But for our health, we need to. What are some of these mistakes?

1. Not pacing: This may be the biggest thing I do wrong. And I don’t think I’m the only one. When I feel good, I do stuff. It’s natural. But even then, I need to realize that preserving some energy is a good idea. After all, none of us know when the tide will turn and we’ll be flaring.
2. Criticizing: No, not my family. Not my friends. Myself. How many of us beat ourselves up when we can’t do what we want? When we can’t be the perfect parent we want to be?
3. Blaming: This is related to #2. After I criticize myself, I start to blame myself for my perceived shortcomings. Sure, I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, plus hypothyroidism, asthma, and bad back and neck injuries. But I should still be able to DO IT ALL, and if I can’t, it’s my own fault.
4. Believing other people: Or what you think other people are saying or feeling about you. I think we all put words in other people’s mouths; things that we deflect from them onto ourselves. Resist the urge to decide other people are right.
5. Too much hope: Now, this one probably sounds crazy, but hear me out. Let’s say you’re starting a new treatment. Don’t get too excited until you know it’s helping. If you put too much into it and the treatment turns out to be a dud for you, how heartbroken will you be?
6. Too little hope: Yes, this is bad too. Don’t get so down about treatments and medicines that you stop trying things. How are you going to help your symptoms if you don’t go after new ways to treat your chronic illness?
7. Not prioritizing yourself: It sounds selfish, but it’s crucial for you to make absolutely sure that you’re taking care of yourself, both physically and mentally. If you don’t, you’ll regret it later.
8. No patience: You need to give treatments and lifestyle changes time to work. If you don’t, you’ll hop from treatment to treatment without any satisfaction.
9. Getting overwhelmed: We all know our lives carry a tremendous amount of stress. Even if you’re not battling a chronic illness, stress is all around you. But letting this stress get to you when you ARE battling a chronic illness can make things far more difficult. It’s harder to manage your symptoms.
10. Letting the “whys” win: We all want to know why this happened to us. What did we do to deserve a chronic illness? Sure, acknowledge it, but don’t allow yourself to wallow in the whys.

Do you have anything you need to stop doing that I didn’t mention?