What an honor to have been invited to contribute to the HealthCentral "Dream Big" series!! The "Dream Big" series focuses on a number of ways to better health and wellness around various topics. This month, the focus is: "Dream Big: One Month to Making YOU a Priority," highlighting how this can be done for IBD Warriors (Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis) and others living with chronic conditions. It was such a pleasure working with health writer, Alyssa Shaffer, along with fellow contributor, Sarah Lemansky, IBD Patient Warrior. 💜💜
Here's a little snippet to get you started:
Week 1: Dream Big: Harness the Power of "NO!"
"With so many things to juggle daily, it can be hard to make sure you’re properly attending to your own needs. That’s true for almost everyone, but for Chronic Warriors who are managing a fulltime condition on top of everything else, being able to speak up for yourself, and learn to say no to things that will drain your energy—whether it’s an extra project at work or a social obligation you’d rather skip—are pretty vital life skills to make sure your body is getting the TLC it needs.
But becoming your own best advocate, and establishing some healthy boundaries in your personal (and professional) life, also does something very important: It helps you regain control. After all, when you’re living with a chronic condition—especially one like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which can make your days completely unpredictable—taking back control of the things you can manage goes a very long way.
“Just because you have a chronic illness doesn’t mean you don’t have to deal with the rest of the stuff that is happening in your life,” notes Denise Archilla, a health coach based in Orlando, FL, who is a Chronic Warrior herself. “Setting boundaries is important for everyone, but especially so for those with a chronic illness like IBD, where there’s a lot of fatigue involved and stress can impact flares.” Like anything else, she warns, it can take practice to build up those boundaries, but learning to protect your physical and mental health is crucial."
Here's the link to the full article: https://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-health/dream-big-prioritizing-yourself-week-1
Please share with anyone you think this may help!! 💜💜
And stay tuned for next week's installment!!
Denise H. Archilla, MSW
Illness Coach, Patient Advocate, Founder
Chronic Warrior Coaching, LLC