How to Deal with Sensory Overload: 19 Coping Strategies
As the new year dawns, many feel the call to set resolutions — promises to grow, improve, or embrace change. But for those of us managing chronic illnesses, this time of reflection can feel daunting because you may not be confident in what you can accomplish and how you’ll commit to it.
How can you set goals that also respect your health, nurture your spirit, and feel achievable? The key lies in crafting resolutions that are gentle, realistic, and impactful, tailored to the unique rhythm of your life.
Understanding the Foundation for Change
Living with a chronic illness often means navigating fluctuating energy levels, unpredictable symptoms and societal expectations that may feel out of reach. Because of this, traditional goal-setting advice might not resonate or even feel achievable.
Instead of feeling down about not being able to do things the traditional way, embrace where you are in your life and assess your priorities and capacity.
Determine which stage of change you’re in. After some reflection, you can meet yourself where you’re at and design a plan that helps you take a specific step forward. You can take a different approach to New Year’s resolutions that focuses on self-compassion rather than societal pressures.
Creating Gentle Goals for Chronic Illness Management
At the heart of successful resolutions for those with chronic illnesses lies self-care. Consider how self-care can become the foundation for sustainable change when creating your goals. When you take care of yourself, you’re more likely to have the energy and mindset to commit to something long-term.
Explore various types of self-care, such as:
- Emotional: Engaging in activities like gratitude journaling that help you process your emotions.
- Mental: Doing activities that help you get out of a mental rut and nurture your mental health, like trying a new hobby.
- Physical: Setting manageable fitness or nutrition goals, like doing seated exercises and eating more greens, to take care of your body.
By weaving self-care into your resolutions, you’re setting yourself up for goals that are both meaningful and achievable.
Practical Strategies for Goal Setting
One effective method for crafting resolutions is the SMART goal framework: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This approach ensures your goals are clear and realistic, both of which are essential for anyone living with chronic illness.
For instance, instead of “exercise more,” try “walk for 10 minutes a day, two times a week.” Or replace “eat healthier” with “include one additional serving of vegetables at lunch three days a week.”
But for SMART goals to get you results when you’re chronically ill, you need additional strategies.
Start small. Choose habits you can also stick to on bad days. Focus on creating rhythms, not strict schedules that will be unrealistic when you’re experiencing flare-ups or health setbacks. Have a back-up plan for how you’ll deal with the inevitable sleepless nights or unexpected doctor’s visits that will mess up the best laid plans. And most importantly, allow room for flexibility. Progress might be slower than anticipated, and that’s okay.
Adaptive Goal Setting
Adaptability is crucial for realistic goal setting when you’re chronically ill. Life’s unpredictable moments may require you to revise or temporarily set aside your goals.
For example, your initial goal may have been to walk for 10 minutes a day, three times a week. But you’ve found that your joints can’t take it. So, you pivot to walking once a week and engaging in another exercise like water aerobics twice a week to give your joints more support.
Adjusting your goals doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means you’re responding to your body and circumstances with wisdom.
15 Examples of Resolutions Across Life Areas
To inspire you, here are examples of resolutions tailored to different aspects of life. Each is designed to be compassionate yet motivating.
Physical Well-being
Consider what you want to prioritize when it comes to your physical health and well-being. Do you have any particular physical or fitness goals you’d like to reach, or are you more interested in pairing physical movement with mindfulness exercises? Some ideas include:
- “Walk for 10 minutes a day, three times a week.”
- “Do one gentle stretching exercise every morning.”
- “Incorporate a five-minute relaxation or breathing exercise after lunch.”
Emotional Resilience
Just as important as your physical well-being is your emotional resilience. Just like exercise and movement, this is a practice that you can cultivate, strengthen, and grow with time. You don’t need to spend hours each day tending to your emotional resilience, as even a little can go a long way in developing here. Think of:
- “Write in a gratitude journal twice a week.”
- “Dedicate 10 minutes daily to mindfulness or relaxation.”
- “Seek out a support group or therapist to process my emotions.”
Social Connection
Similarly, social connections only thrive when you focus on and tend to them. It can be tricky to balance that with your own needs and goals, but here are a few small, but impactful, ways you can devote some time to initiating and growing relationships in the new year:
- “Schedule one virtual or in-person meet-up with a loved one per month.”
- “Send a heartfelt message to a friend or family member weekly.”
- “Join an online community or forum to connect with others sharing similar experiences.”
Career and Productivity
It’s important to reflect on what you want your work life to look like in the new year, too. You should always be on the lookout for unrealistic expectations at work, especially if you’re job hunting, and work to make changes to support yourself in the workplace. That might involve working on learning new skills to advance your career or simply working to create a better work-life balance for yourself, like:
- “Communicate clear boundaries to my employer and avoid overwork.”
- “Take one professional development course this year.”
- “Complete one task from my work to-do list before taking a break each day.”
Personal Growth
Finally, don’t forget yourself and your own needs and wants when it comes to resolutions. It can be valuable to spend time and energy improving in different areas of life, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of filling up your own cup and growing as an individual. These kinds of goals are especially personal, but some resolutions to explore include:
- “Read one inspiring book or watch one educational documentary per quarter.”
- “Learn a new skill or hobby in a way that’s accessible and enjoyable.”
- “Write down one thing I’ve learned about myself each month.”
Progress Over Perfection
As you embark on your journey of goal-setting, remember that progress is more important than perfection. Celebrate every small achievement, no matter how minor it may seem. When resolutions don’t go as planned, extend yourself the same compassion you would offer a dear friend. Let your resolutions be a reflection of the incredible resilience and strength you show every day.
Here’s to a new year filled with hope, self-compassion, and meaningful progress!
If you want to learn more, check out these 6 ways to set realistic goals when you’re chronically ill and then try one of these 101 small things you can do today to boost your health and happiness.
