At least with rosacea there are a lot of good knowledge out there, and I even got a prescribed face gel and pills to help manage it. Chronic lyme disease? I've been on my own since the two weeks of antibiotics I got "just in case" from a very doubting nurse.
If that's the case, what you have to do is figure it out on your own. It took me a few years, and what I need changes based on what stage I'm in, but by now I pretty much know how to keep myself in remission. The first two years my cycle was:
And both times I got myself sick again by being horribly sleep deprived, like being jet-lagged by six hours and staying up all night dancing for three days straight during a blues weekend. That was a bad call. But, through those mistakes I learned that sleep is crucial for me. It's okay to get too little sleep now and then, but never to take it to those extremes. I'm sure you have been through similar things -- it's all trial and error. But that's how we figure out how to live and still enjoy life with these illnesses! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. There's no extra cost for you, but it helps me pay for essentials like dog food and books!
Right now all I have to do to keep myself on the good side of lyme is to do moderate weight lifting sessions four times a week, go on walks, get good sleep, and eat somewhat healthily. The most important part is to not overdo it physically. And if I do get triggered, a few trips to the sauna works like magic! (Wish it hadn't taken me two years to figure that one out!!)
The rosacea on the other hand is new. And unfortunately some things collide with my lyme solutions -- the sauna is a trigger for rosacea. Since the pandemic hit right as I got a diagnosis I haven't been able to figure out if I can find a compromise, but I intend to find out whenever it's safe to go to the gym again! But, you're here to find out how to figure out your own protocol. Let's go through the steps! This is what I'm doing with the rosacea. 1. Write down your tools
The first thing you want to do is write down your tools. For me I have things like:
Photo by Reina Lovefull
2. Write down your triggers
Next you write down your triggers. What makes your situation worse? Are there certain foods, certain times of day, certain situations? Some of my triggers are:
3. Make a problem/solution chart
Now you put these two together! For example:
Trigger: spicy foods Solutions: limit the hotness, and eat a popsicle afterwards to cool down internally (also doubles as dessert! ;) ) Trigger: sunshine Solutions: use a parasol or hat, wear a face mask, wear sun screen, keep to the shade Trigger: hot showers Solutions: wash face in cold water afterwards and put cooling aloe vera gel on This way you can trouble-shoot any of your symptoms! What we want is to make it as easy as possible to live with it. If you know what's wrong, what's triggering your symptoms, you can set out to find solutions for them. Maybe you need to avoid some things completely, or maybe you can get by with just limiting your exposure or modifying what you're doing. 4. Keep a log to track your symptoms
This is not something you have to keep up with forever, but just like tracking calories to lose weight it can be really helpful to start with. I made a Rosacea Log in my bullet journal with three different colors:
Knowledge is your friend, so find out everything you can! It is so easy to just feel hopeless and defeated, but even if your life has to change you can still be in charge of it!
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Hi, I'm Erika!I know what it's like living with anxiety and depression, but living and living are very different things. I believe in practical tips and methods, and I will use them to help you be the brave, daring, darling individual you are. Categories
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Free mental health planner bundle!Daily planner for anxiety, gratitude journal, self-care challenge, workout tracker, and more! Thank you!If you don't see the email, check your junk folder! It likes to hang out there. :) Popular posts |