A diagnosis of arthritis can be overwhelming. Youre dealing with a lot of new information. You may feel worried about the future. And youre getting used to talking with different health care providers who help you manage your disease. A chronic illness can be a lot to handle but rest assured, you can do it. Youll play a big role in getting your disease under control and staying as healthy as possible. The term is called self-management. Self-management is about making healthy lifestyle choices and learning to manage the physical and emotional effects of arthritis. It may feel a little like youre going back to school but take it one step at a time. Youll need to learn all you can about your disease and build a strong partnership your doctors. These self-management habits can help you successfully manage your disease:Be Organized Take charge of your treatment plan by keeping track of symptoms, pain levels, medications and possible side effects so together with your doctor, you can determine what works best for you. Use our health tracker to get started.Manage Pain You dont want pain to take over your life. Try eight natural pain therapies that can help you feel better. Talk to your doctor about the best medications to ease your pain.Address The Emotional Side Coping with a new diagnosis and the pain and limitations that may come can wear on you emotionally. Learn more about the emotional effects so you can better manage them.Tackle Fatigue Fatigue can be a one-two punch. It can be caused by your disease or the daily stress of living with a chronic disease. There are simple ways to manage fatigue.Improve Sleep Pain and sleep problems can go hand in hand. Pain makes it hard to sleep. Poor sleep can worsen pain. Use these tips for sleeping better to help you get the rest you need.Get Moving It maybe the last thing you want to do when youre in pain, but exercise will help. It strengthens muscles that support your painful joints, keeps joints mobile, helps you get restful sleep, boosts mood and helps you lose excess pounds that add stress to joints. See how you can start an exercise program.Balance Activity With Rest Rest is important when your disease is active, and your joints feel painful, swollen or stiff. Lighten your schedule and obligations and ask for help when you need to. Pace yourself throughout your day and take breaks when you can. Get some tips for pacing yourself.Eat A Balanced Diet Healthy eating (plus exercise) can help you reach and keep a healthy weight. Add anti-inflammatory foods that are rich in antioxidants to help control inflammation. Discover what makes the ultimate arthritis diet.

There is some evidence that an optimistic, positive attitude can actually help keep you healthy. A number of studies suggest that having an optimistic attitude the general feeling that good things will happen may improve cholesterol levels, boost your immune response, and lower your risk of death from conditions like heart disease. Even if you're not a particularly positive person, here are four ways to help boost positive thinking.Good luck! We'll be trying out these strategies ourselves!Be GratefulEvery day, spend a few minutes thinking about or writing down the people and things you're grateful for. Some people do this in bed before going to sleep. Some research shows that focusing on gratitude can make you feel happier and reduce stress.Imagine Your Best Possible SelfThink about how you want your life to turn out in terms of your personal life and relationships. Write it down as a story. Then spend five minutes each day imagining that possible future. One study found that people who did this every day for two weeks became more positive in their outlook.Share Good NewsA lot of people naturally turn to friends and family for support when things go wrong. But how about when things go right? Make an effort to share the good news in your life.Push Back Against Negative ThoughtsWhen something doesn't go as planned, is your first thought to blame some part of your personality? Next time that happens, stop yourself and come up with a more specific explanation. For example, if you didn't exercise like you planned last week, don't just call yourself lazy. Think about what was going on and how it was hard to fit in exercise. Studies have shown that explaining events by focusing on specifics (what you had to do last week) instead of bigger issues that are harder to change (your personality) can help improve your attitude.

Eight Habits that could add up to 24 years to your life. That headline drew me into a CNN article by Sandee LaMotte recently. I smiled when I read further into the article, What are these magical healthy habits? Nothing you havent heard before.They include exercise, eating a healthy diet, reducing stress, sleeping well, and fostering positive social relationships. And then the obvious dont smoke, dont drink too much, and dont become addicted to opioids.I smiled again. This sounds like life at Crossroads Senior Living in Delta. Particularly in our Memory Care, (but also for our Assisted Living and Independent residents), Crossroads focuses on daily activities that help our residents stay as nimble as possible. Regularly, we go through stretch exercises, a fun game called noodle ball, gardening, cooking, and painting. It may not be a five-mile run or walk, but we do all we can to keep our residents safely on their feet and moving daily.Crossroads serves three complete and nutritious meals every day, 7 days a week, plus snacks. We provide housekeeping and spa treatments. Just knowing your meals are prepared and your home is clean, is a huge stress reducer.Our comfortable apartments foster good sleep and peace of mind knowing there is always someone nearby who can help with any personal activities. One of the most important things Crossroads and any of the area Assisted Living facilities offer is fostering positive social relationships. It is a common mistake to think mom or dad would rather be at home watching TV. Mom and dad will live longer, healthier lives in the company of people just like them. A senior living facility like Crossroads encourages a social life that often lacks at home. A social life that maintains our loved ones self-assurance and confidence and a gusto for living.Crossroads, and CNN, cannot guarantee longer life by making these habits yours. We can, however, promise a healthier, happier life. That is why we encourage you to think seriously about assisted living, particularly if you need memory care. We think its the best path to peace of mind living.Editors Note: This article was submitted by David Brillhart, Director of Marketing Crossroads Senior Living. He may be reached at 916-774-7719 or by email at david.brillhart@crossroadsalc.org