4 Strategies For Noticing Changes In Your Chronic Wellness When Change Is Slow
When change is slow, it can be hard to notice.
If you do no notice when there is an incremental impact on your physical or mental health, you might miss the opportunity to act on it.
I see this come up for many of us who live with chronic illness in 2 ways:
ONE. We can become so accustomed to pushing through our symptoms, that we might not notice when they are incrementally getting worse. When this happens, we might not consult our healthcare provider in a timely manner, or we might continue to push ourselves too hard.
TWO. We can become so accustomed to putting in small, consistent efforts regarding our wellness goals, that we don’t notice how much of a positive change we have created for ourselves. This can result in losing our motivation to continue to make the effort, or the preferable result of a happy surprise where we suddenly see some transformation.
The Challenge
When change is slow and incremental, it can be hard to notice. When living with chronic illness, it can be especially difficult to notice subtle changes over time. This can be a roadblock to seeking assistance from our healthcare providers or to staying motivated to keep working on a goal.
Because of the inherent challenges of noticing slow changes, I am sharing some practical strategies for noticing the slow-moving trends in your Chronic Wellness journey.
4 Strategies For Noticing Changes in Your Chronic Wellness When Change Is Slow
1. Check-Ups & Check-Ins
Periodic check-ins can be a helpful way to notice longer-term trends in your life and health. When you have a check-up with your healthcare provider, their questions might cause you to notice a change since your last visit.
A periodic check-in with a health coach can help you to notice some slow changes. Lucky for you, I send these out in my newsletter on a quarterly basis. If you are interested in subscribing, enter your name and email address HERE.
But, you can also check in with yourself from time to time and make some notes about how you are feeling, particularly if you are working on something that might be less definable. Taking a moment to think about how things are going can cause you to notice some slow-moving changes or trends.
2. Tracking Symptoms
Tracking symptoms and efforts can help to show more specific changes in your life and health over time. This will help you to see specific changes with a wider-angle lens where you can notice some longer-term trends.
Tracking symptoms can be helpful for the purposes of:
Documenting what is going on for your healthcare provider so that you can obtain appropriate care and determine how your treatment protocol is working for you;
Documenting your symptoms for medical leave or work accommodations, disability benefits, etc.; and
Noticing how things are going for your own information regarding what you are expecting of yourself.
3. Tracking Efforts on Wellness goals or practices
When progress is slow and steady, it can be hard to notice how small changes add up over time. Yet, slow and steady progress is how big transformations happen! To avoid missing how much progress you are actually making over the long-term, tracking your progress can help you notice the effectiveness of your method and the resulting difference you are making in your life and health.
Another very important benefit of measuring your progress is to help fuel your motivation to keep going. If you are not noticing the benefits of your efforts, you might get discouraged. On the other hand, if you see that your efforts are slowly paying off, you are much more likely to keep working at it.
4. Once you notice a change or pattern, take action
If you start to notice that some symptoms are slowly creeping up on you, it may be time to bring it to your healthcare provider’s attention. It also might be time to take a look at your expectations for yourself and your body, and whether that needs some adjustment.
On the other hand, if you are finally feeling some benefits of your consistent and incremental efforts regarding your wellness, it is time to celebrate! Transformation takes time. When you start to feel some positive impact - mark that occasion! You earned it. Then, keep going!
Looking for a tracking app?
Are you interested in a supportive way to track your goals and symptoms on your path to Chronic Wellness? Check out the Chronically Well Membership options here.
Ways to track symptoms & progress
Apps. There are apps that allow you to track all kinds of things like sleep, exercise, nutrition and symptoms, just to name a few. In my coaching practice, I use an app with my clients that allows them to track their goals and symptoms in one place. My clients and I can easily see patterns based on the cumulative entries. Find out more here.
Calendar Notes. Making notes on a calendar or in a journal from time to time and comparing entries to notice any long-term trends.
Family/Friends Impressions. Take note of what others in your life might mention to you regarding what they may be observing regarding how you seem to be feeling and/or how your capabilities or stamina might be changing.
Sometimes we can feel so worn out from chronic illness that we might not notice how much we are doing for ourselves.
My hope is that you see how amazing you are, and feel proud of all that you are doing to navigate your life with chronic illness.
How could noticing changes in your chronic wellness help you?
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