9 Self-Care Ideas for People With Disabilities (Post-holiday Edition 2024)
After the toll a busy holiday season can take on our minds, bodies, and wallets, January is a great time for everyone to slow down and practice a little self-care.
For folks with disabilities, this may be especially helpful since participating in the holiday season can present unique challenges. It’s common to feel overwhelmed, overstimulated, and downright exhausted.
Here, we’ll dive into 9 strategies to help rejuvenate and reset your mind, body, and habits.
(Psst - Do you take care of someone with a disability? Then this applies to you, too!)
These tips, which may just be friendly reminders, cover three categories:
Mindset: reflecting on the past year while looking ahead
Body: remembering to take care of it
Empowerment: New year, more ways to thrive
Ready? 2024, let’s goooo!!
#1: Take an Inventory of Stressors in 2023
The end of the year is notoriously stressful. In fact, according to an article by Harvard Health (x), 62% of survey respondents in the United States reported their stress level as “very or somewhat” elevated during December.
Reasons listed for this uptick in stress included:
Financial demands of the holiday season
Dealing with family
Maintaining good health habits
Disabilities of any kind can exacerbate this stress. If it wasn’t the most wonderful time of the year for you, that’s perfectly okay and understandable. It may be helpful to think about what made it stressful, sad, activating, or overstimulating.
Were you overcommitted? Did you spend too much money? Is your family driving you crazy? Make a note of whatever didn’t work for you (we suggest actually writing or noting it somewhere so you don’t forget).
Armed with this information, you can plan ahead for next year. It’s ok to say “no” to hosting a dinner that pushes the limits of your organizational skills. Gift-giving, if this is something you practice, can be minimized. Or maybe you can (kindly) tell your mom that participating in so many things she thinks is fun is actually really draining for you.
Whatever made the holidays - or any part of the past year - sad, harmful or stressful, is something you can commit to adjusting in 2024.
#2: List All the Amazing Things You Accomplished Last Year
Please don’t underestimate yourself here. If you’re reading this, you’ve already survived another year!
What got you here? What challenge, however seemingly small, did you overcome? Can you think of a time when you stepped outside of your comfort zone?
This is a good time to reflect on what you’re proud of. And often, the things that seem small are actually more significant than we realize.
To get you thinking, reflect back on the past year. At any time in 2023, did you achieve any of the triumphs below? This is by no means a complete list. Just some examples…
Perform an act of kindness
Set a personal boundary
Reach a physical goal
Pass a test
Attempt a test, even if you didn’t pass
Learn a new skill
Make a new friend
Earn money
Donate money or time
Create something special (to you)
Stand up for someone else
Start or finish a project
Whatever it was, kudos! You might be inspired to consider the next one!...
#3: Create a Vision Board
A “vision board” is a visual representation of all the things that you’d like to have in your life. It’s basically your goals for the future that you put together in a way that looks nice (to you), hung up somewhere you can see on a regular basis.
To make a vision board, you can find pictures that represent what you’d like to cultivate for the future. They can be cut out of magazines or be printed from websites. You can also make one online with a variety of digital platforms like Canva or Pinterest.
What better time than January to think about what you’d like to make happen in the next three months, year, or five years?
There’s no pressure to actually make these things happen, but according to those who study the topic of vision boards (x), they can be helpful reminders of your goals and values and are associated with feelings of optimism and well-being.
If you’re vision-impaired, you can still create something that serves the same purpose. One blogger, for example, created an “audio board”. They write:
“My solution is, instead of making a visual board, what about making an audio board for all our dreams and aspirations. We draw just as much inspiration from music as we do from images, so in theory, if we listen to music that represents certain changes and lifestyles that we want to emulate in our lives, then it should have a similar effect.”
Another option is a “tactual board”, and writer Empish J. Thomas goes into great detail here about how she was able to use the same concept to create a representation of her goals but without needing sight to use it.
#4: Get Enough Rest (And a Reminder Why It’s Important)
We know this isn’t news to you, but hear us out. Knowing it’s important to get adequate rest and actually doing it are two different things!
The number of hours you need to sleep per day depends on your age, any medical conditions you might have or medications you take.
But once you determine how many hours of daily sleep you need, know that it works magic. Here are just some of the benefits of sleep:
Improves mood, attention and learning
Supports the immune system
Regulates appetite
Allows your body to heal and recover from the day
Helps you manage sensory input during waking hours
Promotes executive function - i.e., your planning, organizing, and decision-making skills
A disability (or caring for someone disabled) can often make a sleep routine harder. This article goes into more details about who might experience sleep disturbances, the reasons behind it, and how to establish a good routine.
Generally, most people benefit from a regular sleep/wake routine (even on weekends), limiting screen time before bed, and minimizing sugar and caffeine in the afternoon.
#5: Get Moving
However your body moves, do it. (Just don’t overdo it!). Everyone’s abilities around movement are different so we can’t give specific suggestions. However, like sleep, the benefits of regular movement are worth a mention:
Builds strength and flexibility, keeping you more independent for as long as possible
Can help with coordination and motor skills
Reduces anxiety, stress, and depression
Improves thinking, attention, memory, and problem-solving
Promotes restful sleep
Increases energy levels when done at an appropriate intensity (in other words - too much exercise can have the opposite effect)
Creates opportunities for social interactions
If your disability makes movement difficult or dangerous, it’s always best to work with a professional to find forms that benefit you most.
Out of ideas or looking for something new to try? Fitness apps like Accessercise cater specifically for those with disabilities and can spark exercise inspiration.
#6: Make the Health Appointments You’ve Been Putting Off
Admittedly, not the most fun item on the list. But it’s still important. Open your calendar, collect the names and phone numbers you need, and book those appointments to keep you healthy and thriving.
By making sure your appointments are scheduled (or at least listed somewhere to book at a later date), you can plan school, work, childcare, and/or transportation accordingly.
Maybe you need to schedule something as routine as a physical. Or maybe it’s time to finally stop putting off finding a new physical therapist. There’s no time like the present. Examples of appointments to make could include:
Dental cleaning
Annual physical
Annual gynecological exam, if applicable
Sessions with physical/occupational/speech therapist
Podiatrist
Mammogram, if applicable
Nutritionist
New appointments or follow-ups with specialists
Does someone usually handle this for you? There’s still a way to be proactive. Just ask your parent or caregiver if you have any upcoming appointments (so you can be mentally prepared) or ask if there’s anything they’ve been putting off scheduling. Gentle reminders are helpful and appreciated!
#7: Adopt a New Life Hack
What everyday problems annoy you? What do you wish could just be made simpler? In what area of your life could you use a little support or simple solution?
Not every problem has a “hack”, but more solutions are available now than ever before thanks to apps, technology, and the ability to connect with those who experience the same issue.
Below are a few examples. Some carry hefty price tags and just might not be doable. Others are free or lower-cost:
Prepared meal delivery services for people with virtually every kind of nutritional need
Mobile apps to help manage daily life with ADD/ADHD
Apps to locate nearby accessible public areas including restaurants, museums, stores, even gas stations!
Voice-assisted everything
Smartly-designed bags to organize and transport whatever you need to carry around, comfortably
Cool shoes that don’t have shoelaces
Beds that allow you to adjust firmness or temperature as needed
Finding a good life hack makes you wonder how you ever got by without it. Make 2024 a little easier. Think there’s no solution for your specific issue? Try an internet search every few months. New products come out all the time!
#8: Connect - On Your Terms
Sometimes the holidays force us to interact with people more than we’re comfortable with. On one hand, we might feel pressure from work or family. Everything is bustling and busy, and not always in a good way!
On the flip side, the end of the year might make us feel especially isolated and sad. Either way, we might start the year with a big sigh of relief.
January is the perfect time to decide who you want to connect with, how, and when. Despite the social overwhelm or isolation people might experience in December, there’s reason to believe that come January, people still have a desire to connect. Just differently.
For example, according to an article in the Washington Post (x), January is the busiest month for online dating. Similarly, gyms, running clubs, and other group exercise programs see an increase in participation (thanks to New Year’s resolutions).
Turning your attention to social support is an important aspect of self-care. According to authors of the academic paper “Perceived Social Support Among People With Physical Disability” (x),
The psychosocial benefit of social support among disabled people may be due to its effects on their mental evaluation of pressure factors, choosing effective coping methods, improving self-esteem, personal skills, better social life, and empowering them for help in the process of social development.
Online social networking has been increasingly valuable for people with disabilities to connect. But while there are tremendous benefits and opportunities on social media sites, it comes with risks unique to people with disabilities.
Which leads us to our last suggestion for a healthy 2024…
#9: Be Mindful of Social Media
By now, the benefits of social networking platforms for people with disabilities is well-documented. No longer confined to geographic location, people are able to connect with others with similar experiences.
Young people with disabilities were 36 percent more likely than those without disabilities to say that they receive support via social media, according to a 2019 survey (x) carried out by the Education Development Center (EDC).
However, they’re also more likely to be the target of cyberbullying. To combat this, the EDC recommends parents monitor their children’s online activity, report cyberbullying when it occurs, and expand the definition of bullying to include cyberbullying.
A healthy approach to social media (in other words, taking what makes you feel good and leaving what doesn’t) can help promote feelings of well-being and connectedness.
Even more encouraging? A lot of online marketing companies predict we’ll see more backlash towards toxic and harassing behavior and a move toward inclusiveness and kindness. We’ll welcome that trend!
Ultimately, it’s about understanding how your scrolling habits affect your well-being and putting down your phone (or closing your laptop) when you no longer feel good about what you’re consuming.
A Final Loving Reminder: Self-Care Isn’t Selfish!
Self-care takes time, energy, and sometimes a little money. Even if any or all of these are in short supply, we encourage you to prioritize your mental, physical and emotional health. Everyone benefits when you’re at your best.
Here’s to a great year! (And don’t forget to share this with the people you love.)
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Researchers are hard at work studying what causes 3q29 syndromes, their impacts, and how best to support people living with them. To learn more about 3q29 deletion syndrome or 3q29 duplication syndrome, visit 3q29.org.