When you’re living with a condition like psoriatic arthritis (PsA), it’s easy to get swept up in negativity during a bad day. Your symptoms may be flaring, leaving you in so much pain that you can’t even remember what a good day feels like.
But you don’t have to have that mindset. Repeating a positive mantra whenever you’re feeling low can give you the motivation you need to keep pushing forward.
Here are the mantras that three people living with PsA repeat in their daily lives that can serve as inspiration for your own situation.
My life mantra is “It’s just a bad day, not a bad life!” Whenever we’re in the throes of a major flare-up or life challenge, it’s so easy to go to a place of “this sucks” or “why me.” We tend to focus on the negatives and overlook the positives that occur daily. I truly do believe that we need to feel all of our emotions and process them, but that doesn’t mean we should stay in that place.
Whenever I’m having a bad day, I allow myself to fall apart and wallow in the sadness for a bit. But then, at the end of the day, I remind myself that there is beauty within each and every day. There are always things to be grateful for — no matter how small they are. And I remind myself that this bad day was just one day of my life, not my entire journey.
No matter how wealthy or healthy you are, no one is immune to the ups and downs of life. In order to get the good, we must deal with the bad as well. So, all of those bad days I have are just that — bad days. They don’t equate to a bad life. I still have the power to live my best possible life.
Julie Cerrone Croner is a certified holistic health coach, patient empowerer, yoga instructor, autoimmune warrior, and the blogger behind It’s Just a Bad Day, NOT a Bad Life. Visit her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
On my bad days, I tell myself that I am strong and the pain is only temporary. Even though it’s uncomfortable in the moment, I know there are better days.
I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Krista Long has lived with psoriasis since age 12 and psoriatic arthritis since age 20. She has an amazing fiancé, Dean, who is a huge part of her support system. She lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and enjoys laughing until her stomach hurts, family dinners, horseback riding, and snuggling with her two cats.
Don’t give up. Get out of bed. Get moving. It’s going to get better.
Hope is a powerful thing. I’ve had days when I’ve been really down. I’ve had anxiety and depression since I was 15 years old. I know what it’s like to fight a constant battle against hopelessness.
I am in physical pain every day. Every day is a physical, emotional, and spiritual battle to get up, get out of bed, move, and hope. Every day is a choice between succumbing to the burden of forever or living in the hope of today.
Forever is a terrible burden for many of us. It’s the realization that you may never have another day without pain, and that life from this point forward is life with this disease. It weighs on my heart when I think of my boys: Will they grow up seeing their mom as frail? Will they remember when I was stronger, and will I pass this disease along to them? Who is going to carry them when they cry, tickle them when they want to be chased, and hug them when they want to snuggle?
I don’t give up because of them. I get out of bed, move, and hope for them.
Denise Lani Pascual has been married to her loving and supportive husband since 2002. Together, they have two darling boys. Denise has taught various classes at the university level since 1997. Today, she’s an adjunct but decided that sitting at a computer for hours was bad for her health, and opened a bakery: The Stacked Cookie. She’s also an avid bowler, and plays with a wonderfully supportive group of women who constantly push her to be better.