11 Tips for Dealing With Major Disruptions to Your Routine

I’ve been very quiet of late. There IS a good reason! Sometimes, despite the best laid plans of mice and men and women, our lives, our carefully planned routines, are disrupted.

A quick recap of the situation prior to the disruption. In 2016 I started part-time employment in a location that was a LONG way away from home. Relocating close to work was one of the lifestyle adjustments I made as discussed in Beat the Boom Bust Cycle.

This year, I had to move. As it turns out, this has been a GREAT change, but all of a sudden I was faced with home hunting, packing, organising the move, the paper warfare relocation involves and all the other bits and pieces that go along with moving. All on top of my normal daily commitments. Clearly, PACING was paramount if I was to come out the other side relatively unscathed!

I knew I just could not do it all without risking an arthritis flare or some other health set back. Writing was put on the back burner: it was one of the things that was, in reality, not a “Must Do” on the “To Do” list. Packing certainly was! Getting utilities connected certainly was!

The benefits? Beautiful leafy block (pictured above), quiet suburban street, cheaper and (best of all) GROUND FLOOR!

I didn’t come through it totally unscathed. Clearly moving is stressful at the best of times plus my rheumatoid arthritis medication is a immune suppressant. PLUS it IS winter! So I caught a virus about two weeks after moving day. I try to avoid catching bugs, but I think the body was ripe for invasion given the aforementioned circumstances! I was out for the count for several days!

Other life events that can be physically challenging include weddings (our own, or a family member), family holidays, community events we may be involved in organising, school fetes; the list is endless.

If it is a wedding and you are mother or father of either of the happy couple, the lead up is full of additional activities and you want to be in the best shape possible on the day.

Here are my tips for keeping our body healthy when we face a complete disruption to our physical routine that has the potential to cause us pain or a condition flare.

1. Plan, start preparations early. Stop what you are doing if pain starts. Build rest periods into your plan.
2. Accept help! My daughter and son-in-law helped me pack. A friend helped me unpack at the other end. If you are involved in the organisational stages as well as “on the day” or post-event clean up, make sure you do not say, “Oh, no I can manage”.
3. Take annual leave if possible. I took a week.
4. DO NOT be tempted to “help” the removalists on the day (if you are moving, otherwise adapt this tip to suit your situation). You organised help for a reason: whether they are paid experts or volunteers, resist the urge to throw yourself into the physical fray.
5. Maintain your daily stretching regime. It can be easy to let such things slip when faced with exciting things going on. Your stretches are even more important now to counteract the pressure you are putting on your body.
6. You may also have prescribed remedial exercises to do – maintain those too, for the same reasons.
7. Ensure you get adequate sleep.
8. Pay attention to your posture. With all the bending I was doing, I was diligent about hinging at the hip to ensure I minimised pressure on my spine.
9. Do something appropriate to support your body during this time. For example, I booked a massage the second day after the move to iron out the niggles.
10. Eat well, ensure you consume enough protein. Stay hydrated.
11. If this is a big social event (rather than moving home), I strongly recommend continuing to wear your usual shoes on the day (in my case kyBoot shoes). While you might get away with “pretty” shoes or heels for an hour or so, any longer could well result in pain which could be very unpleasant on the day.

Every person is different, every person’s objectives and capabilities are different. If you are father of one of the bridal couple, your one burning desire for the day may be to walk your child down the aisle and maybe walking is your personal challenge. Plan ahead, practice, seek advice from your allied health providers well in advance. If necessary, consider adaptations: for example, at the recent royal wedding Prince Charles didn’t walk the full length of the aisle with Meghan.

Yes, I did resort to Panadol and a heat pack on my back the actual day of the move, but I have even impressed myself with how well my body coped (apart from the darn virus). The annual leave certainly helped, as I was not under pressure to rush. I could work unpacking for an hour, rest for an hour, do my stretches, get my exercises done; all without feeling as if I needed to hurry or as if I should be somewhere else.

Get back to your normal exercise routine as soon as possible. I took a day off from organising the new place to have that massage and go for a long walk.

My main objective, aside from a successful move, was to ensure I did not undo all the good work I have done to date. I did not want a rheumatoid arthritis flare. I was confident if I made sure I took my physical limitations into account, accepted or asked for help as necessary and took my time, I would be fine. Was my back a little stiff? Yes, a little, but at no time was I in excruciating pain or taking strong pain medication. I didn’t expect to come through it without my back grumbling a little, given the degenerative damage.

I have boxes that need lifting to the top shelf in the wardrobes: they are not hurting anyone sitting on the floor and that is where they are staying until someone better able to do it visits! Yes, it is tempting, but I’m NOT doing that to myself! Stick to your rules! Some of us are all too susceptible to striving to be “normal” and do what we used to be able to do. That is not a good idea! My study looked like this for several days (don’t tell anyone, but it still looks very similar) but it isn’t hurting anyone and I stay in one piece physically.

I ventured, for the first time EVER to Ikea and bought a small dining table and chairs that I assembled all by myself! This is a terrible photo, but I am proud I survived the move well enough to do this! It is an extension table, ideal for apartment living, so was more complicated than a straight table.

While unpacking, I came across this poem. Some days, like moving day itself, stuff just has to be done. But afterwards? Keep this in mind!

I painted my nails instead of dusting!

Last thought – amazing the things you find when you unpack stuff.

Here is me in a Melbourne publication in 1998.