Can Being Intentional Really Help?

I have to be honest. When I get up in the morning, I am more likely to think - 'I need to get my stuff together!' than something along the lines of 'I should eat my breakfast intentionally'.

Intentional eating is where you sit and eat your meals without distraction. You prepare for eating by smelling the food and appreciating it visually before eating slowly and savoring the flavors. No iPad, no phone, no podcasts in the background. All your focus is on what you are doing.

Outside of food? I'm not entirely sure what intentional living is. I think it's making sure we don't do things just for the sake of it. Letting our days run us, instead of us running our days.

How can being intentional help psoriasis?

With less stress and more self-care, there is a better outcome for my skin and my resilience. Both essential for coping well with psoriasis. So I took to the interweb for some inspiration and found some of my more recent habit changes class as intentional living. These have been the most life-changing for me.

Set expectations

Finding a routine that works is a case of trial and error. I have tried lots of combinations and buying a tumble dryer was one thing that needed to happen for one of my favorite routines to logistically fit into my day.

I have three (about to be four kids), so my morning routine may seem a bit savage for you. Depending on where you are in life, you could probably do all your laundry on a Sunday while listening to funny podcasts and batch cooking for the week. I need to have a daily plan.

The importance of routine

Get up before the kids. Get showered and dressed and put on my makeup, slowly. Choose what to wear. If it's a lousy psoriasis day, I will spend time slowly massaging moisturizer into my skin reminding myself that my body is a miracle and it deserves this love. I also enjoy a cup of tea while I'm sat. I drink it to the bottom. Luxury.

After a few loads of laundry and an empty dishwasher, I make breakfast for me if I can eat before the kids get up. This increases my chances of focusing on my food but if they do drip feed in, its also lovely as they sit with me and we chat while I finish my breakfast. The rule in our house now is that if mommy is already eating - she won't get up until she has finished.

Intend for flexibility

If I turn up after the kids want breakfast, I am bombarded with requests for porridge, crumpets, toast, and queries about 'what else' there might be. I start off rushing to get everyone settled and don't have time to sort the laundry. This means I have to add that back to the mental load for the day and I haven't even got dressed yet. So there's a good chance I'm taking the kids to the bus stop with my jammies hidden underneath my coat.

When I get back from the bus stop, I want to start my day with all of the tedious jobs already done. If I start loading the dishwasher and sweeping the floor, I don't have the motivation to start work and as a self-employed person who works from home- that's a problem!

Start setting your intentions

Start by listing out the things you would like to do at the beginning of the day. Then identify what needs to change to fit that in. Remember, I created a rule for my kids and bought a tumble dryer. Solutions can be anything so don't box yourself in just thinking of standard things like getting up earlier. Sleep is actually super essential for managing inflammation and reducing infection risk.

Learn what works for you

Every change of season, I sit myself down with a cup of black tea and a chocolate bar and I daydream. I write down three things I would like to focus on for that season/ quarter/ whatever you want to call it.

Some questions that help me identify what do include:

• What is making me happy right now?
• Do I feel like I'm failing at something?
• What's not working?
• What needs to change?

This season I am focusing on spending my evenings with my kids. I realized that sneaking off to get more work done when they were playing was leading to lower quality time with my kids and when they did want me, I was replying 'in a minute'. It's only been two weeks, but my son now makes a mega chocolate cake and that feels like success.

Setting intentions can help psoriasis & overall health

The biggest mistake I made on this journey was sleeping less. I read several productivity books that talk about getting up earlier to journal, exercise and read. Every time I tried, I became ill within weeks. My psoriasis worsened.

It put too much strain on my body. It's easy to get carried away in what works for others, and some solutions are as simple as a morning off with a notepad and a cup of tea.

We aren't taught to ask for people to help us, or to finance the purchase of new domestic equipment for problems that are 'adequately' solved as is. Your health will benefit from it, though. Even if you only get space for a guilt-free cup of tea, I'm sure that will help your skin.