New Year's AS-olutions

By James Hollens

4 min read

It’s that time of year again when something as minor as a number at the end of the date changing makes us believe we can make drastic changes to our lives.

I’m not going to kid myself and pretend I am going to completely reinvent myself, but there are a few things I’ve learnt from the past year that I hope to improve on in 2023.

Experiment more

When I was first diagnosed, I spent a lot of time experimenting with different methods of managing my symptoms. I researched health foods, diet plans, stretches and alternative medicines to see if any of them might be of use to me. Of course, some of them were not compatible with my body but I don’t regard them as failures. I prefer to see them as important lessons about what isn’t a good fit for me.

However, there were several things that I benefitted from hugely and that I was able to incorporate into my life. However, if I’m honest, once I’d found a few things that helped, I got a bit lazy and stopped searching for more.

I know that there are so many things to try out there that I’m missing out on, so in 2023 I’d like to spend more time trying new things. For example, Tai Chi has been something that I have been really meaning to get into. I lived in China for 2 and a half years and used to walk past people performing it daily and never did more than look on in awe at the uncles and aunties busting out their moves in public.

When AS came calling, I found out that a lot of people benefit from it and was very annoyed at myself for not giving it a crack then. So with the help of some YouTube tutorials, I am going to try and make up for lost time and see what effect it has on my AS.

A TENS machine is definitely on my shopping list for the new year sales and I am looking forward to spending more time researching other ways AS warriors have found joy managing their condition and trying them out myself. I feel that we can never have enough knowledge when it comes to pain management and I want an arsenal of weapons to unleash on my condition when it inevitably gives me trouble in the future.

Get back into stretching

I have so much to thank stretching for. When I was first diagnosed, I was in such an intense flare up that I was completely unable to walk unassisted. I knew that I had to wait a while before I could get my hands on medication and needed to find alternative ways of getting my mobility back in the meantime.

I met with a physiotherapist who put together a routine tailored to my needs which reduced my pain and stiffness enormously and allowed me to literally get back on my feet.

I kept this daily routine up throughout the pandemic but when I was finally permitted to go back into the outside world, the excitement of having a life again led to me becoming complacent with my stretching.

It took a flare up to make me realize that I had messed up. But in a weird way it was the wake up call I needed to motivate me to get back into stretching again. I am aiming to start every day in 2023 with some stretching to try and keep those flares at bay.

Self care injection days

There have been a few periods in the past year that my mental health has slumped. It wasn’t always the fault of my condition, but the majority of these factors could probably be traced back to my AS.

I have realized that I have been slacking on my self-care a lot and this needs to change. AS is a mental battle as much as it is a physical one, so keeping a good state of mind is so crucial.

So, I have decided to dedicate one day a week to myself and my mental wellbeing. The days after my Enbrel injection are usually the most brutal so it seems fitting to do it then.

I don’t have a particular plan for this as I never know how intense my biologic hangover is going to be. But I am going to make sure the entire day is spent doing things that bring me happiness. I will leave it to my energy levels to decide whether that means it will be a duvet day, watching my favorite shows or treating myself to an adventure in the outside world.

Final thoughts

Despite the title of this article, I’m actually not looking at these changes as resolutions. Let’s be honest, they rarely last past a couple weeks. I am still waiting on the six pack I promised myself I would acquire back in January 2016!

I am looking more to introduce these new ‘habits’ into my life long term and using the ‘magic’ of the new year as an extra kick up the backside to get going.

Have you got any AS related new years resolutions? Let me know in the comments.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The AxialSpondyloarthritis.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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Julie Vallortigara Moderator & Contributor
<inline-mention username="James Hollens" user-id="2107776"/> Hello, I really like your article and your honesty about these so called NY resolutions that we are supposed to take...having said that, starting a new year does fit the purpose to want to change few things, to give ourselves time to think about it and tell ourselves the potential benefit of these changes on our daily life. I do think that coming up with few things we would like to change is half of the job done! I hear you about the self care and the mental health day, I am also looking at my mental health closely because it does play a big role onto whether I will be able and ready to self care in a good way, and it will impact the way I see how things are for me. I have decided on three things I would like to do in 2023: going more to the cinema, going back swimming, and taking some horse-riding lessons. So far, I have been twice to the movies in January, I have tried two different pools, and I have booked myself two riding lessons. So I am on the right path, the tricky part is to make it last! I trust that if I have fun, and feel the benefit of those activities afterwards, physically, mentally or emotionally, I will be inclined to continue. Let's keep exploring!! Take care, Julie.
1. James Hollens Moderator & Contributor
 Hey <inline-mention username="Julie Vallortigara" user-id="2107984"/> , Thank you so much for the kind words and I am glad that you liked the article! I completely agree that it is a cool idea to get in on the magic of the new year to reflect on the past and get a few ideas for some ways to improve for the year ahead. But to be realistic with it all and not give our bodies unachievable goals. Love that you have put your mental health first and set these goals. Life with chronic illness really is as much of a mental battle as it is a physical one so it is important we take of both. So it is even better that two of these goals of yours involve a bit of physical activity too - two birds one stone! It sounds like you have done an amazing job so far, I think getting started is definitely the hard part! I hope you start seeing the benefits from them all and are motivated to keep going! Wishing you all the best, James (Community Member)
Rebecca C Moderator & Contributor
Great article, <inline-mention username="James Hollens" user-id="2107776"/> - I've gotten back into walking daily 20 mins which has not been easy since I fractured my 4th metatarsal, the same side my ankle replacement is on. But I go out walking the dogs early morning to start my day. I don't make New Year's resolutions either but I know I need to make a few changes this year. Stretching is one thing I have on my list and it hasn't been easy - I tend to slack when I don't feel well or have severe fatigue which can be daily when flares arise. Because of this, I can't seem to get a daily or weekly routine started. What do they say about habits, it takes 21 days? Then it becomes easier? I am not sure, but I understand where you are coming from when you say changes need to be made. I have also been interested in Tai Chi. I should turn on YouTube to find some videos to start - good tip. Thanks for the great read. Rebecca (comm advc)
1. James Hollens Moderator & Contributor
 Hi <inline-mention username="Rebecca C" user-id="2106882"/> , Thank you so much! That is incredible that you have been able to get back into walking after all of those things! Have you found that it has helped at all? I have been exactly the same with my stretching routine lately. A few days of putting it off because of fatigue lead to me completely dropping the ball on it for weeks. But I have found forcing myself to start gently every day has helped get that routine back a bit. Not sure if it has been 21 days yet so hopefully when I get there it will become second nature! If you find any cool youtube videos on Tai Chi please let me know! Wishing you all the best, James (Community Member)
Lisa Marie Basile Moderator & Contributor
I appreciate your honesty and realism here, because I think a lot of us get swept up in this notion that we have to do is huge changes to our lives. But the reality is that change is incremental and gradual and often very slow. I love what you say about tai chi. I was doing it for a few months, and actually really enjoyed what I did for my mind and body. I really need to get back into it, so maybe I’ll think about adding one or two sessions per week. Thanks for the inspo!
1. James Hollens Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="Lisa Marie Basile" user-id="2108259"/> I think you are right, less is definitely more in these situations as it makes it more realistic. Nobody is waking up hungover on New Year's Day ready to completely turn their life upside down! That's so awesome that you felt these benefits from Tai Chi after a few months and hearing that has made me want to get into it even more! How were you doing it before, did you attend a class or did you learn some things online? Wishing you well, James (Community Member)

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