For the able-bodied individual, it can be hard to balance your life. Questions often arise such as "How can I fit xyz into my day?" or "I don't have time to go do xyz today."
Disabled individuals can often have a little extra on their plate. We often have to balance doctors appointments, resting, school and/or work, relationships, etc...
This can be a daunting task. Here are my tips when it comes to balance that I use in my own life that I find effective.
1. Plan for school/work. I am currently a student with a double major so my course work can easily become quite intense. At the start of each week (typically on a Sunday) I review my planner on what assignments are due that week. I then on sticky notes plan my day. It typically looks something like this...
7am- wakeup
8am- Take dog to bathroom and both of us eat breakfast
9am- Shower/get ready
10am-11am class Women Studies
12pm- Lunch and bathroom break
1pm-
HW assignment for Sociological Theory
English Essay
Math Q's 1-50
5pm- Dog and human dinner. Bathroom Break.
7pm- Complete unfinished homework
10pm- Take meds, bathroom break, go to bed
2. Stick to a schedule. Helping to stick to a consistent schedule will help to keep from feeling overwhelmed. Taking scheduled breaks throughout the day is a good way to stay focused but keep refreshed. When adding in things such as making a phone call or going to the grocery store, try adding those things on a day where you feel less busy. Allocating times creates a routine that can help make people feel comfortable.
3. Meet in easily accessible places. When meeting up with friends, plan a place that is in the middle of your two locations. This provides an area that may or may not have a closing time. This provides an "end time" where after, you have the opportunity to rest and not feel awkward trying to make up an excuse to leave.
4. Plan meals. Often times making food can feel like a big task that makes up a lot of time from planning meals to actually making them. Before i go to the grocery store, I decided what I am going to eat each day that week and write it on a whiteboard on my fridge. Then, I make myself a list of what I need to make those dishes and write in on a list. I take this list to the grocery store so that I do not forget anything. When it comes to making meals, i prefer to make a bigger meal on Sundays (usually my least busiest day) and eat the leftovers of that for lunch for the week. It is very quick and simple to simply reheat my food for lunch, saving me time during the day.
5. Make doctors appointments late in the day. I know my body and once I go to the doctor (especially therapy) I feel drained for the rest of the day. It is ideal for me to do all my work in the morning, and then have my appointment later in the day. This helps to not fall behind on any duties/ commitments you may have for that day.
6. Allocate time for yourself. Taking a shower and keeping up with hygiene is often something that gets put on the back burner when we are stretched thin. Everyone likes to do these things at a different time of day but regardless, they need to get done. Sometimes things such as painting your toes can be done earlier in the day and then they can dry while work is being done! I also like to journal at the end of the day if I can.
7. Organize. Something that helps me to feel accomplished is that each night, before I go to bed, I tidy up my room. This makes me feel productive and like my life is in order. It just elevates one stress factor of having a messy area. I also prefer to color code what I can to make things easier to connect the dots.
8. Make a list. Making a to-do list can help to ensure you accomplish all pertinent tasks for the day. Days will happen where you do not check of all your boxes, it happens to everyone. When the next day comes around, put it as the first thing to do so it is not forgotten about or keeps getting pushed back.
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