Easy, practical ways for women with chronic conditions to practice self care

I wonder if you know

the work that your body has done today.

and every day

how much your disease it has fought off

how many times it could have failed but battled on

how many ways it could have broken but did not…..

…Perhaps it’s time to see your body for what it truly is

a mind blowing competent machine

a vessel to get your soul to where it needs to be

in this life

to let you live.

I wonder if you know

how much better you would be as a team

I wonder.

– Donna Ashworth

I know life is usually very challenging when you are dealing with any chronic illness.

Plus, the pain, fatigue, and other symptoms can make it feel totally impossible to practice self-care when you have a million other responsibilities.

But you see, dealing with any chronic condition means that you take baby steps every single day to support your body’s healing process and speed up recovery.

My self care journey – hitting rock bottom

Let me tell you a story.

When my daughter was 7 years old, she almost lost her life due to a disastrous medication reaction that landed her in the hospital for a month. As her primary caregiver, I was completely overwhelmed trying to care for her, my 3-year-old son, and hold our family together.

And even after she came back home, I was determined to find an alternative way of getting her better without suppressing her immune system with medications.

So I was desperately researching alternative treatments and diets and finding ways to stay hopeful during the darkest moments.

But I soon realised that if I really wanted to continue to help her get better, I had to find a way to care for myself first, so I could be fully present for my family.

Why starting small is important

I started small – taking a few deep breaths several times in a day when I felt stressed, making sleep a priority, brief walks outside, reading an uplifting book, writing in my gratitude journal before bed. These tiny steps that made a huge difference in reducing my stress levels and helping me sleep.

Over time, those little pockets of self-care practices gave me the energy and the resiliency I needed to continue my daughter’s healing journey. And as I added mindfulness practices to the mix, it helped my emotional wellbeing and the confidence that I needed to keep going. Two years later, she fully recovered.

But it started with me – carving out tiny pockets of time for my own wellbeing.

There is an excellent book on this topic called “The art of extreme self-care” by Cheryl Richardson and you can dive deeper into this topic here.

Why we don’t prioritize self-care

We are often hesitant to put ourselves first.

This is true even if we are really ill and need to take take excellent care of our physical as well as emotional health. We have been conditioned to believe that we are not either worthy or deserving of our own care and attention. And so we put ourselves last while at the same taking on more and more responsibilities.

We behave like the “good girl” that we have been taught to be.

This was me for a long time. But I realised during that time that I had to learn to protect my energy and honour my values by taking care of my family, my health and what mattered most. And I found time to practice consistent self care that helped me to take care of my family more effectively.

Because the truth is, self-care is not a luxury or indulgence. In an earlier post I have shared 5 powerful reasons why you need to create a self care routine and you can read it here.

I want to share with you three limiting beliefs that often hold us back from caring for ourselves:

Limiting belief 1: It requires too much time/energy

We believe that the supporting our body’s healing process requires too much time/energy. The reality is that small consistent efforts – 5 minutes here, 10 minutes there – make a huge difference over time. Don’t underestimate the power of tiny self-care rituals done daily.

Limiting belief 2: It’s selfish

We believe that enjoying self-care makes us selfish. This comes from media/society conditioning women to put others first. However, making pleasure a priority and finding joy in your life is a critical part of the healing process.

Limiting belief 3: my needs come last

And finally, we believe that as a caregiver, our needs should come last. What I learned was that apart from the times when there was an acute flare up or health crisis, I had to make my own wellbeing a priority. This helped me to focus on my daughter’s health for all those years.

The C.A.R.E. model for self-care

Now, let’s get practical.

I use the C.A.R.E. model with my coaching clients to help them implement sustainable self care practices that support their body’s healing process. In the video below I talk about this model and I also take you through a simple grounding practice that you can try anytime when you are feeling stressed or upset.

Start small, be consistent

That’s the beauty of micro-self-care – you can do it anywhere, anytime.

So, what’s one small way you can care for yourself today?

Maybe having a warm cup of tea, taking a short walk outside, or writing in your gratitude journal. Start small, and be consistent. You’ll be amazed at the healing that unfolds.

The truth is, you deserve to care for yourself with the same love and attention you give your loved ones. As the saying goes, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” Your health and inner peace depend on it.

You are worthy. You are loved. And you have time for self-care – I promise.

And as Maya Angelou said,

“When you know better you do better.”

Anindita is India’s first Functional Medicine certified Health Coach from the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy (FMCA). She is also an AFMC Certified Practitioner from the School of Applied Functional Medicine.

She helps women with autoimmune conditions discover their own power to HEAL using her “BODY-WISE HEALING framework” with their bodies as their GUIDE so that they feel happy and healthy and at peace in their bodies

She is also the coauthor of a children’s book called “I have eczema so what?” based on the real life story of her daughter’s and family’s experiences