Be Gentle With Yourself As You Battle Lupus

Lupus, some days are harder than others. Some days you have pain with every breath. Other days you are on top of the world feeling great. Every day, you have to understand that lupus is not your fault. In every moment it is important not to be so hard on yourself.

Battling lupus is a full-time, difficult job. It will take you places in your mind that you never thought existed. Sometimes you will fight through lupus pain loudly. Other times you will fight lupus without even verbally acknowledging it. Everything you do in your fight can weigh heavy on you and you can become cold and callous to you in your fight. Therefore, it is important to really work hard to do things that deliberately make you be gentle and loving to yourself.

4 gentle self-care tips

1. Don’t compare your lupus fight to others.

   Lupus manifests the same but in different ways in every person. Just because they may be worse off than you, in the moment, doesn’t minimize what you are going through. Take time to realize how important it is to just fight for your better health beyond lupus.

2. Never underestimate what a wonderful person you are beyond lupus.

   You don’t have to let lupus steal the essence of who you are. In spite of the pain, you are still wonderfully made. You should remind yourself daily of the power you exhibit as you overcome.

3. Celebrate EVERY beautiful moment beyond lupus issues.

   It doesn’t have to be big. If you got out of bed today, celebrate that. If you were able to open the jar you couldn't open yesterday, celebrate that. No matter how big or small, always celebrate your power to reach the moment you are in.

4. Speak kinder to yourself.

   Your spirit is listening and it really takes on exactly what you feed it. Feed yourself words that are delightful to your soul. Affirmations that uplift you work to help you get through those difficult lupus moments.

Prioritize self-love

All in all, you should spend your time and energy being more compassionate with yourself. You are fighting a hard battle. How you treat yourself will directly reflect in your healing day-to-day. Enjoy each moment as you beat lupus. Make a concerted effort to be mindful of what makes you feel good. You don’t have to look for the next big issue, you just have to be loving to yourself in the present moment.

You got this! Don’t sweat the small stuff and always remember your worth beyond lupus.