Today, everyone is looking for ways to make life easier and more efficient. When navigating life with chronic illness, these tips can make or break your day. Some of the life hacks I have discovered have meant the difference between accomplishing my to-do list and falling asleep the minute I get home from work or having excruciating symptoms all day.
I want to share just a few of my favorite "life hacks" that help me the most with my day to day life with chronic illnesses. These helpful tips and hacks help with everything from work, cleaning, cooking, and just feeling "normal".
Shannon's Top 5 Chronic Illness Life Hacks:
1. Nuun hydration tabs! These are my all-time favorite. These are high-salt, electrolyte tabs that come in several great flavors (strawberry lemonade is my favorite), dissolve in water, and help me stay hydrated. I also keep the tabs, which come in an awesome container that fits in a purse, car, or pocket, and in the event of bad symptoms day with my POTS where I am very dizzy or fainting, I can take the tab a chew it to get the salt immediately. These are also wonderful if you are watching your sugar intake as they are much lower sugar than Gatorade or other sports drinks. The link to buy these tabs is in the FAQ page of the blog (they can also be bought at running stores, Sprouts, and Whole Foods).
2. Perfect Fitness Cooling Towel. I love this item! This towel is a soft, microfiber-type material which stays cool for several hours when rinsed in cold water. I am highly heat-sensitive and when I am too warm my symptoms increase dramatically. I use this nearly every day- I wear it when standing and cooking at the stove, when vacuuming the house, and of course anytime I am outside in the heat (I even wear it to drive in the summer months in Arizona). It's materials is awesome because it stays dry while staying cool, so it does not get your clothes or furniture all wet. Check out the link to learn more- you can get these for less than $10 at Wal-Mart.
3. Detox Baths. Don't you just love bubble baths? Are you convinced they make you feel better no matter what is wrong? Well, you have to try a detox bath! I swear by these. There are recipes to help with pain, fevers, headaches, immune system strengthening, and even cramps. Most of the recipes call for household items, and since the baths are all natural, there is no worry about fragrances or chemicals/dyes that are in some commercial bubble bath products.
I have two favorite detox bath recipes:
- "Flu Knock Out": 2 TBSP ground ginger, 4 green tea bags, juice half a lemon, 1 C Apple cider vinegar, and 1 C Epsom salts. Add all ingredients to a hot bath (as hot as you can physically handle) and soak until water cools, about 20-30 minutes.
- "Pain, Pain, Go Away": 2 cups Epsom salts, 4 drops Frankincense Oil, 2 drops Peppermint Oil, 3 drops Eucalyptus Oil, and 2 green tea bags. Add all ingredients to a hot bath (as hot as you can physically handle) and soak until water cools, about 20-30 minutes.
These will make you sweat, A LOT- so as you are soaking drink at least 16 oz of water, and then after the bath, drink water, have a salty snack, and lay down- these baths are best to be done before bedtime.
4. Crock Pot: My crock pot is my most-used kitchen appliance! Standing over a stove or bending down to get pans from a hot oven is very challenging with my POTS, also on days I am recovering from seizures, it is not safe to be using a stove or oven- so thus, enter the CROCK POT! I cook everything from soup to lasagna to french toast in my crock pot, it is a miracle tool. (Check me out on Pintrest for crock pot ideas!- Shannon Force). A crock pot is a must for any chronic illness warrior, also who doesn't love dinner being ready when you walk in the house from work, it is so comforting to come home to a good-smelling house and a complete dinner! (Try crock pot liners to have minimal clean up!)
5. Dry Shampoo: Dry Shampoo is a must in any beauty kit for a chronic illness warrior. With POTS, it is very challenging to be in a warm/hot shower and use the over-head motion of washing your hair. Because of this, some days it is easier to just dry shampoo, brush, scrunch, and go! Also, dry shampooing means 10 more minutes of sleep in the morning on those rough, painful, or high-fatigue days! It is a win, win, win!
We all need ways to make life a little easier sometimes, and I hope that these ideas help you! Enjoy these tips and please comment with any other life hacks and chronic illness tips that you have that work for you.
3. Detox Baths. Don't you just love bubble baths? Are you convinced they make you feel better no matter what is wrong? Well, you have to try a detox bath! I swear by these. There are recipes to help with pain, fevers, headaches, immune system strengthening, and even cramps. Most of the recipes call for household items, and since the baths are all natural, there is no worry about fragrances or chemicals/dyes that are in some commercial bubble bath products.
I have two favorite detox bath recipes:
- "Flu Knock Out": 2 TBSP ground ginger, 4 green tea bags, juice half a lemon, 1 C Apple cider vinegar, and 1 C Epsom salts. Add all ingredients to a hot bath (as hot as you can physically handle) and soak until water cools, about 20-30 minutes.
- "Pain, Pain, Go Away": 2 cups Epsom salts, 4 drops Frankincense Oil, 2 drops Peppermint Oil, 3 drops Eucalyptus Oil, and 2 green tea bags. Add all ingredients to a hot bath (as hot as you can physically handle) and soak until water cools, about 20-30 minutes.
These will make you sweat, A LOT- so as you are soaking drink at least 16 oz of water, and then after the bath, drink water, have a salty snack, and lay down- these baths are best to be done before bedtime.
4. Crock Pot: My crock pot is my most-used kitchen appliance! Standing over a stove or bending down to get pans from a hot oven is very challenging with my POTS, also on days I am recovering from seizures, it is not safe to be using a stove or oven- so thus, enter the CROCK POT! I cook everything from soup to lasagna to french toast in my crock pot, it is a miracle tool. (Check me out on Pintrest for crock pot ideas!- Shannon Force). A crock pot is a must for any chronic illness warrior, also who doesn't love dinner being ready when you walk in the house from work, it is so comforting to come home to a good-smelling house and a complete dinner! (Try crock pot liners to have minimal clean up!)
5. Dry Shampoo: Dry Shampoo is a must in any beauty kit for a chronic illness warrior. With POTS, it is very challenging to be in a warm/hot shower and use the over-head motion of washing your hair. Because of this, some days it is easier to just dry shampoo, brush, scrunch, and go! Also, dry shampooing means 10 more minutes of sleep in the morning on those rough, painful, or high-fatigue days! It is a win, win, win!
We all need ways to make life a little easier sometimes, and I hope that these ideas help you! Enjoy these tips and please comment with any other life hacks and chronic illness tips that you have that work for you.
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