Dia duit agus fáilte – that’s Irish for hello and welcome – do you know it’s time to break bad habits in order to reduce symptoms of RA and other autoimmune diseases but don’t know where to start?
When you’re hoping to reduce rheumatoid arthritis and chronic illness symptoms naturally, chances are you may have a list of habits you need/want to break and that can be quite challenging. But if being diagnosed with a chronic, progressive disease isn’t inspiration, when exactly is the time to break bad habits?
By any US standard, I was a healthy woman – ate nutritious food, stayed active, practiced yoga and meditation – when I received my RA diagnosis which just added to my anger; what the hell had I been doing all those years if not fighting to ward off illness and disease?
Turns out being the standard version of healthy doesn’t cut it. I elected to work with a functional medicine practitioner after my diagnosis and she was very direct. I could do what she said and send RA into remission or I could ignore her and become a statistic. Well, that doesn’t sound like much of a choice if you ask me. She gave me a long list of changes to make (learn more here and here) and I accepted that it was urgent to break bad habits.
Read below for ways to break bad habits, swap out those bad habits for better options and return to your live-out-loud life.
Table of Contents
No judgment
I am not here to judge, I believe we do too much self-judging already and should learn to be kinder to ourselves and others as often as possible.
My goal in writing this article is to offer support and encouragement to create the life you want despite having rheumatoid arthritis or some other crappy autoimmune disease.
Habits are learned behaviors, they are triggered by common events or feelings so one way to break bad habits is to change either the trigger or the reward. We know the potential reward for taking the time to break bad habits – reduced RA symptoms. If we also work on the trigger for the behavior, we stand a better chance of success.
If I can make radical changes, I have no doubts you can do so. Together, we will journey towards a live-out-loud life.
Find your why: why is it time to break bad habits?
I had a big WHY when I decided it was time to break bad habits. 2 much-loved aunts suffered with RA for 30+ years and it was heart-breaking to witness their lives shrink until they disappeared into the disease. The heart-ache and dread that my future would be that grim were a sufficient why for me.
What is your WHY? Is an RA diagnosis enough to push you out of your comfort zone? Or do you need other reasons?
Every smoker knows smoking is bad for them but this knowledge does not make it time to break the habit. My cousin realized she would not be able to enjoy or afford the beach holidays she spent with her grandkids unless she could breathe properly and afford them – it was finally time to break bad habits and she dramatically cut back on cigarettes.
A friend got his wake-up call when he had a mild heart attack and was told he would likely die the next time it happened unless he broke some bad habits. He finally had his why; dying in his early 60s was not part of the plan. In the evenings after work, he traded crashing on the couch for a 3-mile walk (even in the Florida heat) and quit drinking diet soda.
To be perfectly honest, this article could finish here. As soon as you find a big enough why, you can navigate the how. But let’s be real; it’s not always that easy.
When is the right time to break bad habits?
You will find people who recommend planning ahead to break a bad habit, I mean, this is what many of us do during December, right? We wait for the magical first day of the new year. But, think about it, isn’t today the first day we get to create a new life?
There is that Chinese proverb: The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second best time is today.
The difference between bad habits and addiction
There is a clinical difference between addiction and a bad habit. Habit is part of addiction and is often considered easier to break. Addiction can be a life-threatening disease and may need support from a qualified medical practitioner. Learn more if you think you may have an addiction.
I like this description:
Not all habits are as easy to pin down, especially because we are specifically talking about the habits that worsen our rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. We know diet, toxins, stress, poor sleep all affect RA; how do we break the bad habits that fall into these categories?
Steps to take when it’s time to break bad habits
Here are 5 techniques you can use to break those bad habits that are exacerbating your RA and chronic illness symptoms. In the same way that our bad habits became habits, so too can they become former habits – time and practice.
Please be patient and kind with yourself as you remove the obstacles that stand between you and your live-out-loud life.
Remove the possibility to fail
We have a drinks cupboard full of all sorts of alcohol and I don’t care; I never crave a drink from that cabinet. But bring a bottle of red wine into the house and it calls my name so loudly that the only way to silence it is to open the bottle and enjoy its contents. Red wine in small amounts may not pose a problem in your fight against RA but it interferes with my sleep which inflames my body leading to pain and brain fog. It’s simply better that I don’t bring it into the house, plus I usually have the fortitude to resist the wine while I am at the grocery store making it a little easier.
Is it possible for you to use this idea and refuse to bring the bad habit into your home? Next time you go to the grocery shop, leave the soda, Jiffy peanut butter and harsh cleaning products on the shelves and choose healthier options – sparkling water, PB with only peanuts and salt on the ingredient list and natural cleaning products. (or better yet, make you own – see here.)
Not all bad habits are items we buy. What about spending excessive time on FB or reading the news? Stress is one of the biggest culprits for any RA flare-up I experience so I had to break the bad habits that produce stress. One bad habit is checking the news regularly throughout the day; in order to break that habit, I removed all news apps from my phone. Are there stressors/temptations you need to remove from your phone?
Sleep is essential if you are to fight RA. Read Sleep & RA. Is it time to break bad sleep habits? One way to stop watching TV or scrolling your FB feed while in bed is to ban all technology from your bedroom. By doing so, you are removing the possibility that you will slip back into bad habits that threaten to block your journey back to health.
Swap out the bad habits for something better
Are you more likely to stay up late watching TV after a long day at work? In order to break that bad habit, can you take an Epsom salts bath in the evening and read a book or your favorite magazine afterwards?
Does your credit card bill cause you stress? Instead of shopping at the mall or online, could you find a different outlet to get the rush that comes from shopping? Maybe your friend will meet you at the park for a walk or at the local tea house on a cold rainy day.
Does the crunch of Cheetos soothe you after a fight with your kids/spouse/mother? Can you switch to non-GMO popcorn or, even better, carrots and hummus?
Instead of a yummy dessert while we watch TV, I switched to hot chocolate. Try my recipe; it might become your favorite sweet treat.
- Pour the plant milk of your choice into your mug – 3/4 full.
- Heat the milk gently in a pot.
- In a small bowl mix a good splash of the same plant milk, 2 tablespoons cocoa, cacao or carob powder, a pinch salt, cinnamon to taste and a smidge of cayenne and a bit of pure vanilla essence.
- Blend until a paste forms. Whisk into the warm milk and add stevia or maple syrup to taste. (we use Trader Joe’s liquid stevia)
Change how you talk about yourself
Probably the biggest change that I made to my diet was to break the bad habit of gluten. Learn more. Since the day the doctor told me how damaging gluten is to my body, I don’t eat gluten. I don’t say, “I can’t eat gluten.” It is definitive: I don’t eat gluten.
Are there changes you can make to help you now that it’s time to break bad habits? Try the “I don’t” approach; you might be pleasantly surprised.
- I DON”T smoke or I am not a smoker
- I DON”T drink (alcohol, soda)
- I DON”T watch that (because it causes stress)
- I DON”T check FB/Instagram after dinner
And some positive options:
- I am an athlete
- I always practice good sleep habits
- I make all my own non-toxic cleaning products
- I am strong enough to fight RA and win
What triggers your bad habits?
Perhaps you are in the habit of turning on the TV when you wake up in the morning. Can you break that bad habit and select either silence or classical/instrumental music? This new habit will promote mindfulness and calm.
Do you automatically order a Caramel Macchiato when someone in the office is doing a coffee run? Could you change it to a favorite herbal tea?
I am not good at making lunch for myself and often end up snacking. If there is cereal in the house, I will choose that (little nutritional value there) or default to cheese and crackers with a side of chips. So I have to keep these food items out of the house and instead fill the fridge with easy-to-fix snacks.
I love a salad of baby tomatoes, cucumber and avocado chunks tossed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar; it’s healthier, more delicious and I feel much better about my choices for the rest of the day. Or try a Make-Your-Own-Salad-Bowl.
Enlist help
If you are fortunate, you are surrounded by people who support you, whether it’s your spouse, kids or parents, or perhaps it is your friend or cousin. Ask your team for their encouragement.
Share with your team how rheumatoid arthritis or your disease/illness works and what changes you want to make, and why. Give them this article if they need more info. Clearly ask them to support and help you now that it’s time to break bad habits and begin your journey back to full health. Maybe you need to ask your spouse not to treat you to that tub of Ben & Jerry’s (sugar) every weekend or you have to set boundaries with your Mum and ask her to back off with unsolicited advice (stress.)
Not everyone has an in-person cheering squad behind them. There are groups on FB and elsewhere specifically for those of us with RA that I have found to be kind, supportive and encouraging.
And most of all, you need to be your own cheerleader; anyone willing to take on the fight against rheumatoid arthritis is a warrior. Be sure to tell yourself this several times a day – look in the mirror and say it like you mean it.
“There’s a scientific study that shows that if you stand like this, in superhero pose, for just five minutes before … a really hard task, you will not only feel more confident, you will perform measurably better.” -Amelia Shepherd, Grey’s Anatomy. (I love this scene!)
Final thoughts
Getting a diagnosis of RA or other autoimmune disease sucks and choosing to go the natural route of healing, even when combined with meds, can be challenging and, at times, exhausting. But, please know, it is absolutely worth it.
When you make dramatic positive changes to diet, lifestyle and habits, not only will you feel better physically and emotionally (read The Emotional Impact of RA), you will also grow in confidence and become a better advocate for your own needs.
Look, we all fall down, make mistakes, maybe we even go backwards. But then we pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off and begin again. You are strong, you are brave, you are a warrior.
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