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Monday, July 13, 2009

My Routine: Am I allocating my time optimally to be able to do a variety of activities?

The final question posed in my post Can Routine Help Me Manage My Fibromyalgia? is Am I allocating my time optimally to perform health maintenance, do home chores, have a family/social life, and engage in satisfying hobbies?

The answer to this question is, "Probably not."

First, I have a confession to make: home chores get short shrift in my routine. Chores are the hardest thing on me physically: I've tried to make chores more fibro-friendly with limited success. Some of the items on my "Not To Do" list include things like lifting, bending, reaching, standing for more than a few minutes and repetitive movements, which is what household chores require. I wish I had the money to hire someone to help me with home chores, as this is really what I need to get these done. It's funny how my hubby and friends disappear when it's time to tackle the household chores ... and I can't say I blame them!

Since I feel bad almost all the time, I want to do things that are fun. So I like to devote most of my time to my hobbies and social life. I find that it really helps my mood and outlook on life if I schedule something fun to do every day. Plus, distraction is the number one tool I use to combat my pain and fatigue, and what better way to distract myself than doing something fun.

Health maintenance is definitely already a part of my daily routine, from checking my blood sugar, injecting Byetta (exenatide) before meals, taking my other medications, cleaning and using my CPAP machine and countless other little things I do (and I can't seem to remember right now!) A lot of my focus is on my health, which is why last year I established the goal of readjusting my focus from treating my chronic health problems to living my best life despite them.

Obviously, if I was allocating my time optimally I would not need to challenge myself to create a routine during the month of July, now would I.




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2 comments

jimpurdy1943@yahoo.com said...

I don't even try to do everything on my to-do list. Instead, I prioritize things, and I just concentrate on the most important things. For me, the most important things right now are reducing my weight, lowering my Type 2 diabetic blood glucose and A1c, healing from a recent diabetic toe amputation, and then getting aggressive about exercising (walking a lot). Best wishes to you.

Selena said...

Hi Jim,

Thanks for your comments.

As you might know, I live with Type 2 diabetes as well. I share your goals of keeping my A1c and BG as low as possible. I too am trying to lose weight---which is tough when you have diabetes! I have found the support I get at my endocrinologist's office invaluable: diabetes educator, nutritionist and, of course, my doctor.

Walking is a great exercise and I found it reduced my BG within weeks. My currrent challenge is to find exercise I can engage in that doesn't aggravate my fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.

Take care and let me know how it is going.

Oh, and checked out DiabetesMine.com, a great website for diabetics.

Selena