Health Goals for 2020: What Happened to 2019?
Towards the end of 2018 things were looking good.
I'd made the transition from full-time employment to a portfolio income after taking redundancy in 2016. I wasn't working so many hours to pay the rent, so I'd time to explore developing my interests in making and creating and in the environment. STEEM had really helped to make that difference - through blogging and sharing I'd discovered and re-discovered what I wanted to be doing. I went to SteemFest 3 to check my ideas about STEEM and what I thought might be the future - it all panned out.
Then in late 2018, early 2019, I was diagnosed with two long-term conditions: one would become serious if left unattended, and the other was serious right then and required immediate action. Both, with proper health management and good lifestyle decisions would mean very little effect on my day to day life, certainly in the short to medium term.
There were complications because I already had two long-term conditions for which I have taken medication for about twenty years, and there were conflicts between the management of each of the conditions. This meant that medication for one affected the efficacy for another and led to me not feeling so good; the treatment for one condition was a risk factor in the development of one of the later conditions - reducing or stopping the medication for the earlier condition ... led to me not feeling so good.
It's taken a year to investigate and sort out, but I am about approaching the best fit solutions for managing the combination of conditions I have. Throughout, I have had, and continue to have, excellent health care. Everyone from my local health practice, through specialist staff, support staff like radiographers and phlebotomists, through to frontline administrative support and pharmacy assistants, have been excellent. Likewise, I've had fantastic support from where I work.
But the past year has taken its toll. I've had long periods when I've not been well enough to be mobile. That's not good at any age, but at my stage of life when, as the practice nurse put it, "everything is in decline" it has a greater effect and takes longer to get back to what I was easily able to do a year ago. I'm much more prone to frequent, small injuries if I go too fast too soon, delaying the process further.
There have been mental and emotional consequences, too. I haven't found it easy changing from a person who visited their doctor barely twice a year to this year when I've found myself in a health setting on average about once a week. I've railed against being pulled into a system of appointments and endless phone calls and trips to the pharmacy (39 different medication requests and trips over the course of the year). And low mood has been my faithful companion.
Coming into the new year brings new hope and new opportunity. Things are all but settled now, the process of review is in place, I've had a long, restful, restorative break over the winter holidays. Where next on my recovery journey?
Developing an evening routine
I'm trashed by the evening. Cognitive abilities refuse to co-operate by about four in the afternoon, my body follows soon after. By six, shattered, I've usually fallen into a chair until I have enough energy to start cooking an evening meal. Then I crash again and it seems just too difficult to get moving and finish the day.
I've decided I want to set some boundaries on the day and develop some gentle winding down routines that take me from the day to restful sleep, ready for whatever the next day brings. Some cut off point where, whatever the trials and tribulations of the day, whatever remains unfinished, it all has to wait until tomorrow or later.
I'm not quite sure what this routine is going to be yet - a shower, a gentle walk, some yoga, a little reading. The only specific decision I've made so far is no telephone calls after half past seven. I had a friend who used to do this (she also operated a no surprises policy), I remember marvelling at it. I'm going to try it.
Last night, I had my first go at an evening routine. A nice supper, a shower, some time reading. It was really difficult to do, required all my energy and intention. I was going to write this post last night, but it turned out that wasn't going to happen. I have slept well and woke naturally around 5.30am - perfect and right where I want to be.
I'm looking forward to developing these ideas and I appreciate the opportunity through this challenge to write about them. I've been wanting to explore #naturalmedicine for a while, and I'm pleased to have had a prompt to get me started. Best wishes, fellow travellers.
This post is a response to the request in this post to share and commit to our health goals for 2020. I was too late to resteem the original post, but I have resteemed this one.
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So happy to see you posting again! Might I suggest Tai Chi in the morning? its huge in Asia and in particular, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong where the parks are full of people gracefully and slowly moving in perfect unison at around 5 am in the morning. Especially the middle-aged and upwards.
Listen to your body and go with its natural rhythms.
Really great to see you back and just be kind to yourself :-)
Thank you, delighted to see you, I've missed you :)
I like Tai Chi and it is something I would like to try. Among its many benefits, I like the way it helps with balance (I am a bit wobbly). Last year, I think the University had yoga in the Botanic Garden in the summer. Maybe I could request Tai Chi this year.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you Shani.
Glad to hear that things are settling down a bit for you and you're looking forward with optimism.
As I read it I was thinking about how you said you enjoyed those little videos I used to make and how it seemed like there was nothing of interest in them from my perspective.
Your comment about not taking phone calls after 7.30 jumped out at me as I realised I haven't answered the phone in the evening for years. It's not something I consciously chose. I'm just not keen on being mentally stimulated once I've settled down for the evening. I sometimes feel a little bit guilty about it. 😁
Just goes to show we get set in our own world views making up rules for ourselves as we go and not noticing them.
My fresh start for this year/decade is to return to the unfolding path, i.e. staying present to the moment and not wandering off in my mind to the future and getting lost there.
It is a theme I return to regularly and the most peaceful way I've found to live my life but I forget easily and get caught up in "problems", and plans for things that might never happen. It feels good to be back there again, for now at least. 😁
Wishing you a wonder full day! 💙
Happy New Year! I'm looking forward to 2020.
I have one friend who rings late in the evening. I have asked previously that he doesn't ring after nine. I think I just need to ignore calls and send a friendly text in the morning suggesting another time. Good for you for setting that boundary - sometimes we can look after ourselves without even thinking about it :)
I know what you mean about getting caught up, I find for me having a routine helps with that. Let's see how we both get on.
Look forward to seeing you soon!
Happy New Year Shanibeer.
Hoping better health 2020.
Much Respect
Happy New Year @super-irie, pleased to have met you in 2019 and look forward to getting to know you better in 2020. Thank you for your kind wishes :)
That evening routine, and the no calls , sounds like a good plan.
I hope you can find more help through natural medicine.
Yes, I'm looking forward to establishing the routine. I've been wanting to explore natual medicine for some time, I keep coming across it. I hope all is well with you and your family. Please send my best wishes to @cryptocariad. Happy New Year.
Good to see you back, it's been quiet without you.
This made me chuckle :) Thank you for the welcome.
Happy New Year to you and your family. Look forward to seeing you again soon.
Congrats on the @curie ;)
Yes, thank you, my first ever I think :) x
Hi shanibeer,
Visit curiesteem.com or join the Curie Discord community to learn more.
Thank you, @curie, pleased and honoured to have your support.
On the one hand it is good to hear you are recovering or managing your health a bit better now, but on the other side I a feel with you for having to cope with several ailments. I remember that you already posted about having dates at the hospital some time ago and I hope that you will find a good solution to juggle different medications. I have this problem with medications on a very small scale: I have glaucoma and a preventative for migraine I should try is contraindicated when you have glaucoma... but I simply can stay away from this migraine medication and try to find something else, it's not always so easy.
I have no idea how our evening routine looked before your health resolution, but reading, walking or gentle stretching sounds like a plan. I also try to get a walk into our schedule in the evening, as I think this really helps with sleep quality. I often get stuck on netflix with knitting ... not good (in too large quantities).
But I have to admit that standing up on 5:30 sounds like torture to me :-DDD I only do this for work... Everything before 7 should be forbidden in my eyes. I hope to hear how your change of habits will work out in the longer run and sending you a big hug.
Hello and Happy New Year to you and your husband, family and friends :)
It has been a challenge, but now that things are stabilising, I'm looking forward to adapting my lifestyle and having a nice time in the evening.
I like 5.30am, but 4.30am is going too far!
I think with combining medications - keep trying.
I'm so sorry you've been dealing with so many health issues! I'm glad you have good support from your healthcare team, though. I think your evening routine idea sounds wonderful! So many people don't know when to stop. It sounds like a great idea to put rules in place so you don't run yourself down! My own energy levels and sleep patterns fluctuate a lot, so I don't have a pattern per se, like you do when you noticed that you were crashing every evening. But my mom has a serious internal clock. She is nodding off around 9 pm and waking up around 5 am no matter what, and has been that way for decades. I envy her that cycle. And she is completely baffled that I have never had it. LOL
Good morning to you, so good to hear from you :)
Yes, it's been a bit of a challenge, and the healthcare people have been great, so kind and helpful.
Patrick is like your mum - out like a light mid-evening and up with the lark in the morning, rain or shine. He's a real joy-bringer, happy as the day is long. Looking forward to a much better year for both of us :)
Have I said Happy New Year already? If I have, have some more intentions :)
And a happy new year to you, too! :)
I don't know what your situation is, I partly think I can understand you, because I have also been addicted to different drugs (changed, mixed, changing doses, etc.) for two types of pain and sometimes the consequences have been worse than pain itself. in my case, conventional drugs did not work, let alone natural cures. I don't want to demoralize you, on the contrary! try to be patient, do not be discouraged and ask for help from friends when needed! the latter is the best medicine;)) good luck, all the best for you
Thank you for your support, it's good to have. I'm fortunate with friends and my community, and we enjoy laughing :) Good luck to you, too, hope 2020 goes well for you and all about you.
Sorry to hear about all this. I really hope you are on the mend and getting what care you need. The NHS is a wonderful thing we cannot afford to lose.
Thank you, things are much better now :) Everyone that I have come into contact with connected with the NHS has been marvellous. The reception and support staff are wonderful - they chivvy the doctors, fit me into cancelled appointments, make sure I get prescriptions, they keep everything running. The pharmacy has also been excellent, finding easy ways to deal with disruptions to supplies of medications. I have been very lucky, reading about the pressures on A&E departments and how everyone is struggling there.
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Hi. It is good to have routines but in health it is also important to break them.
The body will respond well if you have taken care of it properly.
I loved reading you, best regards @shanibeer
Hello there @marcybetancourt, Happy New Year to you and yours.
I'm changing one routine for another, so let's see what happens :)
Thank you for your support.
i've been feeling that way too of late. my cognitive abilities have been strained during the day as well. last week i started taking a good multivitamin supplement as well as some Omega's 3 & 6. It made all the difference. i feel a bit stronger and ready for life. i also started small exercise routines again, just some light cardio. helping me get going again.
Happy New Year to you and yours, thank you for stopping by.
I'm glad you've found something to help you, small changes can make a big difference. Good to feel that you are firing on all cylinders :)
Happy new year to you too. I hope you find what works for you. I am nowhere near where I want to be but baby steps right?
Right! Here's to us and everyone on the journey 💐
cheers to that! have a lovely weekend! Will be following your progress closely!
It is really nice to see you back here @shanibeer! So sorry to read about your health but I am glad that you are taking steps to remedy that, along with the medication given to you. I guess, it is also a good wake up call to start making changes for the betterment of your well being. I am getting wake up calls too to watch what I eat, to live a healthier life, to live my life. It is one of those things that make you think, how do we want to live our life in the years to come, and hoping that we have years to come. Yoga sounds good and tai chi too. I did yoga for a bit a few years back and keeping at it on a daily basis helps with flexibility. Less muscle aches. I stopped a couple of years and it is really to get started again that is the challenge. Then, the next challenge is to be disciplined and keep at it, which is a greater challenge than starting. You have just given me a good reminder of how we need to take charge of our health and well being. I wish you a continuous road to recovery and that you will be able to do the things you want to do. Take care there @shanibeer.
Thank you @marblely, really good to see you, too 😍
Everything is going to be okay - but different to how it used to be. I'm happy to go along a little bit at a time. Friends are important, #needleworkmonday fits right in there 😊
I hope you can stick to your intention and transformt it into a routine
and wish 2020 brings you improved health.
I think it all starts with treating yourself a little better ( self care )
and it seems like you started just doing that.
The good night of sleep seems to be proof that it's worth building this habit.
Keep it up :>)
Hello and thank you 😊
I agree with you about self care (as opposed to the self-help industry).
I have made friends now with all the health care staff, we all have a lot of fun, that in itself makes everything easier. But I think as well, I have been more confident in my interactions with doctors, asking more questions, and saying that I will think about things, rather than just going along with them.
I enjoyed your post, I liked your thoughts about why people throw litter out of their cars 😊 That insight provides a new angle for thinking about how we can change things.
@shanibeer, I am absolutely so sorry I missed this post when I did the winning entries. I didn't even see it come up on our blog stream in Discord, which it SHOULD have if you posted on www.naturalmedicine.io? Happy to refund your LOTUS.
So sorry you've had a tough time. I definitely think being gentle on yourself and ensuring you aren't stressed can help with anything you suffer. I do hope 2020 sees balance brought to how you approach your conditions and manage them. xx Much love!
PS I'll come back and upvote this with Natural Medicine too. xx
No problem, @riverflows, these things happen. I just wanted to check that I had done everything required. I posted on www.naturalmedicine.io, I usually use steempeak for ease and templates, saving drafts etc.
Very pleased to be here, I met one of the community at the London Meetup and we had an interesting discussion. She is, was, a nurse, I believe (I have her account name written down, but it escapes me for the moment). I'm pleased that I have eventually made contact 😊
Here's to our journeys through 2020, I'm looking forward to it!
@shanibeer, I forgot to get back to you the other day - @immarojas!!! Was that the nurse you met? Love her! How is she? xxx PS Sorry sorry again I missed this post, I will make it up to you next time, promise! @riverflows
Yes! It was @immarojas! She seemed very well (this was last summer, August, I think) and we had a very good conversation.
I hope that you will manage to build your new routines and that you will feel much better. I have read somewhere that it take 21 days to build a new habit and I can confirm that it worked for me. The first 3 weeks are pain in the ass but then you get used to new habits and it will be much easier.
I wish you that 2020 is much healthier for you than 2019 :)
Thank you for sharing and have a lovely day!
Yes, it takes a little while to develop a habit - so far, so good 😊
I am so sorry I missed this. I haven’t been around much lately, only when I need to be. I’m so glad you have some proactive plans in place to try to make things go smoother for you. I know what you mean about the health decline that comes with age. It takes longer and more effort for our bodies to recover from things that used to didn’t be much a hassle. When you say you are exploring naturalmedicine are you referring to getting ideas from the community in order to ease away from the medications? Sorry if you already addressed this in the comments, I haven’t time to read through them all. I’m hoping this year will be a more comfortable year for you and that you see great results from the goals you have set. Take care ~ 💚
I'm not on here very much either - we all have to look after ourselves the best way we can 😊
My idea about naturalmedicine is first to get back onto an even keel, get some stability and resilience. I was up and down so much last year and it wore me out. I wanted to be in a supportive community where there are people who understand what I am experiencing and where there are many ideas and thoughts about well-being, so that however things are I am enjoying the best life possible.
I'm not on here very much either - we all have to look after ourselves the best way we can 😊
My idea about naturalmedicine is first to get back onto an even keel, get some stability and resilience. I was up and down so much last year and it wore me out. I wanted to be in a supportive community where there are people who understand what I am experiencing and where there are many ideas and thoughts about well-being, so that however things are I am enjoying the best life possible.
I love this! I am so glad knowing you are surrounding yourself with a supportive and understanding community that can help bring new ideas to mind. Looks like you are on the right track ;)
💛 ~
😘