I’m one of those folks who follow a daily life routine. Simply put, it’s a series of predictable habits that bring structure to my life and help me maintain a positive attitude while living with ALS. But try as I might, my daily routines did not survive a recent onslaught of social activities.
Of course, the fun, the fast tempo, and the visits from friends and family were all worth the sacrifice. But now it’s time to dust things off and revive my trusty daily life routines.
Having daily life routines is important to everyone’s mental and physical health. Sure, variety is the spice of life, but too much variety can wear us down. Especially when living with ALS.
In my case, lively discussions extended meal times. I ate more meals at restaurants and my exercise dissolved to just getting into and out of vehicles. At night, I couldn’t fall asleep due to the parade of images and conversations marching through my head. When all the activity was finally over, I felt out of sync, tired, and almost at that “Why bother?” stage.
Potential disruptions are happening all around us
I remember the worst for me was during my first year of learning to live with ALS. What I noticed most was the pace of my life suddenly slowed down. For example, due to my ALS symptoms, certain expressions dropped out of my vocabulary — phrases like “jump out of bed” or “throw my clothes on” or “dash out the door.” These were things I just couldn’t do anymore. Instead, I learned to use, “Could you please?” and of course, “Thank you!”
Disruptions happen, and when they do, I try to get back on track again. When disruptions are happening to you, try these tips, and soon you’ll be back in sync in no time!
Align with your body’s biorhythm
We all have rhythmic biological cycles that affect our body, mind, and emotions. And it will help to schedule your activities around your own biorhythms. For example, I know my physical energy is better in the morning than later in the day. So, my short bouts of exercise happen mostly before noon. Afternoon time is reserved for low-energy activities like writing and reading. I even meditate in the afternoon. A meditation app I really like is Calm, as it offers free guided or timed meditations.
Balance your well-being
Well-being means takng care of your body & mind. ALS
well-being includes eating right, getting enough sleep, exercising, and proper
medications. It also has social, intellectual, and spiritual dimensions. Without
those added aspects, we can easily lose our sense of self and give in to
feeling isolated and defeated.
For me, writing this weekly blog and my column for ALS News Today taps into my intellect, helps me feel connected to the ALS community, and adds meaning and purpose to my life. Explore more about finding balance in your life journey in this column I wrote last year.
Transform a habit into a daily ritual
By
adding special meaning to a daily life habit, it becomes an important ritual
and so you will be less likely to drop it when life throws you a curveball.
- These are My Tricks for Adding Movement to My Day
- And How 'Self-care Minis" Help Me Through a Busy Day
At night I
like to fall asleep mentally giving gratitude for all the positive
things that happened during my day. This nightly ritual helps me maintain an
optimistic attitude, as I find myself on the lookout for more and more positive
events.
Did
you know that by practicing gratitude we can become more stress-resilient? A
professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, Robert A. Emmons, PhD,
explains how in this short video.
Give
it a try. We can live well while living with ALS!
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To learn more about reviving your life routines, I suggest these posts:
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| Dagmar Munn ALS and Wellness Blog |
“Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow.”
Doug Firebaugh
A version of this post first appeared as my column on the ALS News Today website.
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