when your body doesn’t cooperate

sometimes the barrier to getting care tasks done isn’t your mind but your body. Your mind wants to, but your body feels like it has sand sacks for legs. Maybe it’s because you were up all night. Maybe it’s chronic illness or pain or pregnancy. Maybe you’re going through a situation in your life that’s extremely stressful and it’s affecting you physically. It’s times like this when racing the clock or playing motivation games don’t really help. What does help is to just let

yourself move as slowly as you need to. No timers. No agenda. You may not get it all done. But you get more done than you would’ve if you hadn’t done anything. Below is an inexhaustive list of products and routines that may be helpful to you:

Grabbers for picking things off the floor without bending

 

Rolling office chairs or stools for moving about the house for care tasks

 

A shower chair for showering without fatigue

 

Cleaning caddies and supplies for each room or floor to reduce having to walk

 

 

Three-tier cart for supplies to roll around instead of carry

A long-handled dustpan

 

An automatic scrubber attachment for drill

 

Sweeping or using a rake to gather items on the floor into a pile so you can sit down to sort them out

 

Doing only a commercial-worth of time while watching a show to pace yourself

 

Timing to stay within safe exertion limits

 

 

 

Installing grab bars in bathrooms or other high fall risk areas Doubling or tripling recipes to freeze for hard days

 

A “gentle movement” playlist of slow songs to help you move slowly while you work