The title of this article might strike you as strange. You would be right to think that. After all, who on earth wants to “dance” with a health condition? They’d much rather do so with their partners, or loved ones. But the truth is that dancing is a good active metaphor to have in mind when managing the realities of a new health issue that has taken prominence in your life.
That’s because, when dancing with anyone or anything, you have to keep your partner in mind as much as you do your own movements. Those who experience chronic illnesses will often liken managing their symptoms, their pain, their energy levels, their fatigue, their treatments and their enthusiasm and motivation for life as a large dance. In other words, learning to come and go with each day and doing so to the point where you can guide the best outcomes is a practice you have to learn.
For that, we have to learn that we’re not always 100% in control of the situation, be gentle and kind to ourselves, and go where we must at any one time. These are good practices to have in dancing, too. So as you can see, sometimes this perspective can help us overcome feelings of frustration, which are all too understandable.
But how might you handle this newer approach and insight? In this post, we hope to discuss that and more:
Managing Your Momentum
Dancing, much like managing your health, is about momentum and knowing how to move your body when. On days where you have more energy, you can make the most of it – perhaps working on your exercises, going outside, and living life as you usually would. But on the bad, you may need to stay in bed, walk slowly, commit to minor movements, and conserve yourself for healing.
You could liken that to pacing yourself in a long-distance race. You wouldn’t sprint the first mile and expect to finish strong, and the same idea applies here. Keep in mind that overextending yourself on a “good” day can leave you drained for the rest of the week.
Also, remember that emotional and mental energy matter just as much. Knowing when to give yourself a break, even from things you enjoy, can help prevent burnout and keep you in a better place overall. Sometimes you just need an early night and to skip that movie. Knowing what the signs are can help you work around them more carefully.
Balancing Time Around Treatments
Treatments can feel like they take over your schedule, especially if they’re frequent or time-consuming. It’s easy to feel like your life revolves around them. But it’s important to carve out time for other things, too.
Medical treatments are part of your day, not the entirety of it. Finding little ways to make that time more enjoyable, perhaps listening to music while undergoing cancer treatment, or even chatting with someone – can help.
Scheduling is another big part of this. If you have some flexibility, try to arrange appointments around what works best for you. For instance, if mornings are your most productive time, you might prefer to keep that slot open for work or personal projects.
Using Restorative Habits
If you have habits that restore a sense of comfort and energy to you, that can be healing. For some it might be waking up to enjoy gardening early on a Sunday morning. Habits and routine can help your body learn that momentum and stick with it, and that can help you avoid feeling like you have to figure everything out for the first time.
For some, that might also mean using restorative treatments that work for them, like skin creams that help them with eczema, or taking part in your medical cannabis prescription to manage your Crohn’s disease. There’s no shame in having a little crutch to help you and in many cases they can be prescribed or recommended by your doctor. Just be very careful with any alternative treatments that don’t have full science behind them – always only use them as a supplement with the approval of your doctor, no matter what you see online.
Working With & Around The People In Your Life
The loved ones in our life want to help us, but they might not know how you’ve cultivated your dance to help you remain the best and most engaged person you can. It’s worth letting them know, because it might be as simple as showing when you need quiet time or explaining why you have to cancel plans. Most people are understanding when they know what’s going on, even if it takes a little time to adjust.
With this advice, we hope you can more easily dance with a new health condition. It’s not easy, sure, but we’re willing to bet it’s an approach you can absolutely achieve. We wish you well.
