Overcoming Barriers To Your Chronically Well Habits And Practices
Maintaining wellness habits while living with chronic illness can be overwhelming.
It can be A LOT to take care of your health while managing symptoms and daily responsibilities. Creating healthy habits might seem impossible given the myriad barriers. But that doesn't mean that you can’t form and practice good habits to live Chronically Well.
With thought, planning and determination, you can move past those obstacles.
It starts by re-focusing on your “why” — your motivation for a Chronically Well lifestyle—and using proven strategies to take steps towards success. In this blog post, we'll look at ways that you can ensure sustainable success in creating and maintaining healthy habits and practices while living with chronic illness.
5 Steps To Overcome Barriers To Your Chronically Well Habits And Practices
STEP ONE - Brainstorm Potential Challenges
In order to take the first step, brainstorm potential challenges to your wellness habit or practice. Consider the obstacles that may come your way based on your past experience. Each of us may face different barriers, but there are some common themes to be aware of.
Barriers can include things like symptom flares, illness, bad weather, travel, or any other interruptions to your schedule. They can also be anything that competes for your time and energy, causing you to lose focus or prioritize differently.
By thinking ahead about what might hinder your progress towards adopting healthy habits, you are already increasing your chances of success. Knowing what to expect can help you troubleshoot in advance.
For example, in my own life, I have a workout routine that keeps me feeling healthy and strong. Travel, poor air quality, and illness are the main barriers that throw it off track. By anticipating these challenges, I can create a plan to overcome them.
When I am sick, I give myself a pass. I know it is better for me to rest and recover when I am sick than to push. So, let’s leave sickness off the table for the purposes of this discussion.
For more info on setting realistic and flexible goals that accommodate your symptoms, definitely read THIS blog post!
sTEP TWO - Create a Backup Plan
After identifying potential barriers to implementing your wellness practices, it's crucial to prepare a backup plan for when those challenges arise. It's also important to be specific in outlining your plan.
By identifying these potential barriers and creating a solid backup plan, you can ensure long-term success. By being specific and thorough in outlining your strategy, you will be able to confidently navigate any challenges that arise. By anticipating and planning for barriers, you'll significantly increase your chances of sticking to your wellness goals.
For example, when the air quality is poor and my lungs are not functioning at full capacity, I know that I will need to move my workout indoors near an air filter. I also reduce the weight and my endurance expectations since I know I cannot perform at my usual level. But, I still show up for my workout in a way that works for me. It just looks different.
And, if I am traveling, I assess whether I am walking a lot or engaging in other physical activity. I give myself credit for that. Sometimes, that is all I can handle. Or, if I am taking a more leisurely vacation, I try to pack workout clothes and shoes so that I can visit the gym.
Don’t forget to utilize your personal strengths when creating back-up plans! For more discussion of utilizing your personal strengths, check out THIS blog post.
Step THREE - Create a Gentle way to hold yourself accountable
An integral part of staying on course with a wellness practice is finding a mechanism to hold yourself accountable. However, because of the nature of chronic illness, I recommend finding a way to keep your accountability gentle!
Gentle accountability can be a crucial part of consistently adding in a healthy practice like exercise, meditation, or a healthy eating habit. Gentle accountability can remind you to show up for yourself. If done well, holding yourself accountable can be less about shame and more about supporting you to make sure your efforts are consistent and paying off!
Some examples of accountability tools include alarms, calendar reminders, visual reminders like a post-it, apps like Chronically Well, a buddy or coach.
For more discussion of gentle accountability, check out THIS blog post.
STEP FOUR - REMIND YOURSELF OF YOUR “WHY”
The foundation for maintaining commitment to a Chronically Well habit or practice lies in understanding why you are doing it. Not only does this serve as the foundation of your actions, but it is also backed by neuroscience. When your reasons for supporting your wellbeing are strong, your chances of success greatly increase.
In the face of slow and challenging progress, it is crucial to remind yourself of your motivation. In my own experience, true change took years and is still a work in progress. By regularly reminding myself of why I started in the first place – especially when things get tough – I am able to make lasting changes.
I constantly find myself going back to my core motivations. Overcoming obstacles to maintain a wellness practice can be difficult, and I often find myself tempted to take the easy way out. But by staying mindful of why I started, I remember the positive impact it has on my life and how it allows me to live with a better quality of life. It's hard to argue with a meaningful purpose that deeply resonates with you. What is your motivation?
For more tips related to staying connected to your motivation, check out THIS blog post.
STEP FIVE - Acknowledge Your Efforts and show yourself some grace
Often, we forget to recognize our own consistency and effort, even when we can't meet our goals perfectly. It's important to remember that we're not robots and life can throw us off track. But instead of striving for perfection, we should give ourselves credit for the efforts we make, even in challenging situations.
Like me, you might need to make adjustments to your wellness routine when faced with barriers like air quality or travel. Your efforts might not match your aspirations, but it's crucial to give yourself credit for any movement goals you achieve during these times. Give yourself permission to be imperfect and embrace the fact that you're doing your best despite not feeling 100%.
How can you show yourself some grace when faced with obstacles on your path to live Chronically Well?
Check out THIS blog post for more reading about having self-compassion when it comes to life with chronic illness.
For support with your
wellness habits and practices, sign up for the Chronically Well coaching membership! It’s a membership, an app and a coach right in your pocket!
As with any endeavor, building healthy habits can come with barriers that make progress difficult or slow.
But with the right attitude and approach, it is possible to overcome these challenges and achieve the habits and practices you want in order to live a Chronically Well life. Taking a few steps such as re-affirming your motivations, creating backup plans, setting up gentle accountability systems and being kind to yourself can move you past hindrances so you can create habits and practices that will support your wellbeing.
What barriers do you encounter when you try to implement your wellness habits and practices?
What can you do to create a back-up plan?
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