Self Management

Self management is about all the things we ourselves can do to boost our wellbeing and cope with difficulties when we are living with a long-term condition of any sort (such as multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, ME / CFS, Long Covid, depression or anxiety) or when we are recovering from an illness, injury or loss. 

Self management starts from the idea that we know best how we are affected and "what works for me". It helps us learn skills to find the best route to increase our wellbeing, working with our network of family, friends, volunteers, peers, teachers, or group leaders etc as well as doctors, nurses, physiotherapists or counsellors on the medical side.

Self management involves looking at the whole picture of mind, body and lifestyle to see what steps you can take to feel better or more in control.  One of the most important things that you can do is get to know your own health and wellbeing.  Understanding what your body needs to thrive will make such a difference to your day-to-day life. The wellbeing and food sections on this website explore some of these in more detail. 

What can we do ourselves to improve our wellbeing?

There are lots of things we can do to improve our wellbeing. Here are a few:

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• Eating well

• Getting enough sleep

• Resting when we need to

• Moving about as much as we can

• Spending time outdoors

• Doing things that make us feel good - having fun and laughter is important too **

• Learning how to take a positive view

• Understanding effective communication and active listening 

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** amazingly even faked laughter can improve our physical and mental wellbeing!