5 Ways to Manage the Unpredictability of Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA)

PsA flares can be unpredictable. These tips will help you navigate daily life.

From the physical symptoms like pain and fatigue to the mental and emotional challenges that come with living with a chronic health condition, there is no doubt that life is more difficult with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Doctor’s appointments, different medications, and side effects can all conspire to make life with PsA unpredictable and overwhelming.

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Each person’s experience is unique

In all my years with PsA, I’ve yet to run across two people with the exact same experiences with the disease.

Despite some overlapping features, every situation, body, and experience is different. Some people’s disease progresses rapidly, others have an extensive list of comorbidities, and still others are lucky enough to experience brief periods of disease remission.

Life with psoriatic arthritis is unpredictable

Sometimes, it’s possible to guess the cause of your most recent flare, while other times, you have no earthly idea. Weather, new medications, or life stress could be contributing factors any day of the week. Other times, those same scenarios don’t make any difference at all.

Here are some tips that have helped me manage the unpredictability of life with PsA:

Look into the past to see the future

Learn from your past experiences.

There is a popular quote that states, “The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.” This quote applies to dealing with life with PsA.

Think about your experiences when dealing with various activities. For example, do you always need 3 rest days after an outing? Do you usually have a reaction after eating certain foods? You can use this knowledge to improve daily living.

Tracking is your best friend

No matter how you choose to track your symptoms, medications, diet, and activities, doing so will allow you to see patterns. This can help you make better, more informed choices.

Be intentional and proactive with your mental health

Fears of an uncertain future and the need to change plans with friends at the last minute are just a few ways PsA can impact mental health.

Having a plan and being proactive when it comes to your psychological health can better equip you for dealing with the mental health challenges of PsA.

Phone a friend

Do you remember that older game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” It had an option on the show to “phone a friend” to help answer a question.

Over the years, this option has always stuck with me. With PsA, the sooner you accept that you will periodically need help, the better off you will be.

You may have done your best to prepare for an outing or how to get chores finished, but there will be times when you may need to phone a friend for a little support. Knowing someone is there to help can make such a difference.

Prioritize

Each day, I spend a few minutes deciding the most important tasks for that day so that if the unpredictable happens, I’ve dealt with the most crucial things.

Quite honestly, this also helps improve my mental health, and I don’t feel so bad about not accomplishing everything on my list. Brain fog is a real thing, and it is easy to get sidetracked. Having a routine where you prioritize important tasks helps you feel like you’ve made progress.

Sometimes, we need to embrace the unknown

When it comes down to it, no matter how hard we try, there is no way to mitigate all of the inconsistency of PsA.

You just have to give yourself a little grace and accept that with or without PsA, life will always have an element of unpredictability. Part of life is learning how to embrace this and do your best to just keep going.