#503 – #RABlogWeek: Day 3 – Wild Card

auntie stress ra blog week

Rick, who created #RABlogWeek, has given us two wild cards to use. The topic I choose is: What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten or advice you can give about how to live well with chronic disease and pain?


Although there are more than a couple of card decks worth of wild cards on this blog, I'd like to start where I left off yesterday. Make the choice not to be like King Edward the VIII and abdicate your authority over your health and wellness. Although it may not feel like it when you live with RA, ultimately, you are the reigning power in your life. That means you can make small choices that give you a better quality of life. If you can hold your own (throne), that may be enough to give you peace of mind.

Let's dig a little deeper:

  • Find what works for you. 

I liken life to a living lab with the chief scientist being you. When it comes to RA, I always think about how many decades I've had this disease and when I try some new strategy, tool or technique, I remember that it will take time to notice changes. Get curious and be willing to safely experiment.

  • Listen with your heart and your head. 

Have you noticed the word "ear" in "heart"? When you listen with your heart, the information you receive is of a different quality. When you add heart to your listening skills, you are changing the signals that travel north to your brain. Rather than react, you respond.

  • Gather information. 

Do your research. Keep in mind that one size does not fit all. Use a bevvy of resources from your "huddle" of healthcare professionals, to the people who are walking a similar path to you, the internet, the library and whatever else you can think of.

  • Make your decisions. 

Address and undress your stress to improve your thinking.

  • Correct, if need be.

Just remember to leave the self-flagellation behind. If you have perfectionist tendencies, you might want to visit this post. Most things can be rectified. Each day - often each hour - is a chance to begin again.

  • Trust yourself. 

It can be a challenge for you if you haven't used this "muscle" in a long time. Like anything that is worth doing, start small. Why not start with the fridge?

What are you waiting for? Put that crown on your head and make your own Rheumful of Improvements. The kingdom wasn't built in a day. Take it breath by breath, step by step.

4 Replies to “#503 – #RABlogWeek: Day 3 – Wild Card”

  1. Marianna: I love the phrase, dress and undress your stress. That is so true. I learned many years ago that fear is like a monster. The more I try to hide it the bigger it gets. Monsters are so troublesome they attack us whenever they want, often out of nowhere.

    One way to deal with a Monster is to secure information. I think you give terrific advice!!!

    Also, thank you for taking the wildcard. I love the response.

  2. “Correct, if need be” was the hardest for me. When I finally came to the conclusion that nothing has to be for life, things can always be changed as needed, depending on where I am in life, my health and self appreciation blossomed.

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