Psoriasis Spring and Summer Adventures

With the weather changing from cold to warm, it's becoming time to start planning day gateways to week long stays. Making plans is a great start to your adventure. I try to plan a couple of day trips: museums, picnics, maybe a festival or parade. Even though each of these things is a fun activity, when you have psoriasis it takes extra steps to plan.

My family and I love to spend time together when we can. We all have busy schedules; the kids are adults and have jobs. When we get the chance to spend time together, we like to take it. Planning starts with discussing the activity or event. This time we are thinking about going to a Lilac Festival in a park. You pay a minimal fee to spend the day in the town park walking among beautiful sweet smelling lilac tress. We have discussed the hope of planning a picnic.

Planning around weather for my psoriasis

Now we are all looking to set a date. Once we can establish the date we can check the weather. Weather is obviously important because this is a mainly outside event. Another reason it is important is to do with my health. We have to be sure that it won't be too hot or humid. Knowing that my psoriasis is sensitive to sunlight I will need to plan accordingly for sun protection. If the sun plays hide in seek I may need a sweatshirt or jacket.

Here in the Midwest we try to have a plan for when the weather is inclement. Rain tends to crop up along with cool lake front breezes off of Lake Michigan. We also have to account for a lot of breezes. Gusts of wind tend to suddenly pick up. I think we should try a museum if the weather may be a problem. There are a few museums in our area that are simple and would just take an afternoon to view. There is a lot of rich history in the area and I think that would be perfect if we don't have a bright sunny morning.

Rain is not my friend

Psoriasis tends to cause swollen areas underneath my plaques. It makes me feel like I am experiencing chills like a fever. Then I feel achy. My plaques will look angry red and feel more raised than normal. It is always a good idea for our family to have an alternate warm dry area to go to as an alternate from a outdoor activity. As we travel, I keep a light blanket or sweater in the car for driving. Air conditioning tends to chill me. Many times I have felt like I am older than I am because I tend to have to cover up or wear sweaters like someone in their 80's.

Sometimes when I make plans with the family we chose a full day. We might pick an activity that may take more time then we expected or is much more walking than we planned. At the time we discover this we make a plan and take things from a full plate down to some bite size manageable tasks. Luckily for me my family is great with understanding that my condition is kind of conditional.  They know that when we scale things down it doesn't mean we can't try again or come back.

Relaxing and resting

Whenever I make a plan I always give myself the next day to recuperate. One thing I know is that if I get myself over tired physically I need time to recharge. Planning for rest is something I had to start scheduling. I used to just push myself. Now I look for quiet things to do. Like reading a book, coloring, quilting or just plan taking a nap. There is a comfy spot that I have set up in my living room that I use as my kind of nook. My chair lays back and the feet come up on my love seat. We keep blankets, pillows, and drinks there.

Do you make plans for your trips? Make sure you don't forget to rest?