Real life 5 top tips 1 Connect with others Get yourself up, wash your face, and go to a group. You will meet like-minded people, make friends, and help each other. Searching for a group near you on the Versus Arthritis website is a good place to start. 2 Practise distraction Do something voluntary, because helping other people helps you, too 3 Get outside and move any way you can; just start where you are now and challenge yourself a little bit. I had to start from zero, but 1% is better than 0%. 4 combat loneliness; you meet like-minded people and it causes a distraction. If you are rolling beeswax candles, you are not thinking about your pain, and distraction is a major part of the selfmanagement programme. Distract and thrive Now I manage my pain using distraction; Ive learned to crochet and this helps with dexterity in my twisted fingers. I paint, I write poems, and I volunteer in the local community. Keeping myself busy helps my mental health. I feel different helping others; for example, one lady came to a group and she didnt have much money. She improved so much after doing the course that, eventually, she gained a degree in economics. Tesco paid me for 32 years, but none of it meant as much as that wee woman. It gives me a great sense of achievement. I will never do a 16-hour shift or be in charge of everybody in a store again, but I can help people, give them the knowledge to manage their pain better, and put a smile on their face. Im quite poor, having lost my house and car, but Im rich in other ways and Im happy every day. Set small achievable goals every week This could be something such as walking to the end of your road 5 Don t take worries to bed with you Before you go to bed, write down three things you are grateful for that happened that day even if its been bucketing down, it helps plants grow. Then write down one major problem, with a solution that you can pick up the next day. It will stop you worrying about it at night. 26 versusarthritis.org PP22-26_Inspire_Winter 2023_Real life.indd 26 14/11/2023 12:06