Self-Care & Psoriasis

A very popular term these days is self-care. Question is do you know what it means? Is this something that applies to you?

I will give you a hint here, the answer is yes.

The importance of self care with psoriasis

My take on this is that we as a society have created a world that we constantly need to recover from. I think that we automatically assume that putting our health, both mental and physical first means putting others last.

Honestly, that is like me saying I am a cat person and you assume that I dislike dogs. You would be wrong and we have been wrong like this too often before. Self-care simply means I am as important as all the other people in my life. It does not mean I am selfish and treat others as less than me. It is similar to when we were young and we had to learn to take turns to go down the slide or swing under a tree.

Tips and ideas to practice self care with psoriasis

Here are some tips and ideas to begin practicing your own version of self-care.

• Taking that sick day when you are feeling unwell at work, even just with a cold. Go home, rest, take your medicine and drink enough water.
• A bubble bath with some quiet music and candles burning all around.
• Alone time, reading a book away from the world.
• Spending time with your people, laughing and forgetting.
• Making time every day to apply your lotions and potions to get some relief from the symptoms of psoriasis.
• Saying no to anything and anyone, when you are tired and need to rest.
• Accepting help from people.
• Dressing for comfort and in a way that makes you happy.
• Setting healthy boundaries and limits with friends and family. You know when and if this needs to be done.

How do you define psoriasis self-care?

Here are some activities or topics to avoid and do not define self-care. These ideas are not excuses for self-care and certainly should not hide bad or rude behavior behind the walls of self-care.

• Treating people badly because you are having a bad day. In fact, treating people badly period.
• Trying to please everyone all the time.
• Abusing anything or anyone in any way to get the results you need.
• Mindlessly eating or drinking treats you know are bad for you, this includes alcohol.
• Retreating from everyone you love and who is good for you, to become a total hermit.
• Being perfect. There truly is no such thing.

Prioritizing self-care with psoriasis

If nothing else please take the following from this article. Putting yourself first does not mean you think that you are more important than someone else. It simply means you are as important and deserve to be treated well and made a priority. You know what I mean, the way that we make the other people in our lives a priority.

Be humble, be kind to others and yourself. Reach out and become the person you are meant to be. Be your own hero.