Making Lifestyle Changes Due to COPD
I'm sure the list is long with all the things that we can not do or that are too hard for us to do because of our COPD. My family probably gets tired of hearing me mention the things I can no longer do, since I know I get frustrated at myself when I dwell on them.
I believe that we can set ourselves up for failure or depression if we let ourselves dwell on these things. Instead of dwelling on them or getting depressed about the things I can't do, I decided to look at things a little differently.
Making adjustments as needed
Can I really not do these things anymore or do I just need to alter how I do them, or if I really can't do then, is there something else that I can do to take its place?
If I can find a way to still do them myself and just do them a little slower or adapt something for me, then I do it. For instance, I can’t get down on the floor anymore to do some chores that may need to be done lower to the floor or on the floor.
I now use a little stool that I can sit on. It’s still harder for me to get off of it, but I can still do it. I will sit on it to go through my lower cupboards or to dust my shelves that are down lower.
Another thing that I do differently on bad breathing days is when I vacuum on those days, I will do as much as I can and then sit and take a break. While I’m still sitting in my chair after recovering, I will sit and vacuum the area around my chair, rest, and then get up and finish.
I am the same way with the rest of my house cleaning. I sit and rest and go back at it again.
Getting help with cleaning
There are quite a few things that I am just unable to do anymore, which include mopping the floor on my hands and knees or scrubbing the shower like i used to. Those are the things that I ask for help with. My husband will do these things or any of my kids offer as well.
Recently, I have been paying my granddaughter to do it for me. She reminds me that I don’t need to pay her and that she wants to do it for me.
I want to pay her though and tell her it is very nice that she wants to do it for me and she should offer to others. That is the right thing to do, but I enjoy paying her so she can save the money that she needs to travel with me like she wants this summer.
She wants to go to the next Alpha-1 conference so she can help me with everything. She is such a sweetie.
New ways to shop
Another thing I've changed is how I go shopping. Most of the time now I shop online and drive to the grocery store to pick it up. My husband will do the shopping as well, but I think we both prefer the pickup. It saves our energy for other things.
I know a lot of us don’t like to get out anymore because it’s so hard at times. My suggestions for that is to have someone drop us off and pick us up at the doors.
Bring a walker, wheelchair, or scooter so that we can continue to get out and do the important things. Even if it’s just getting out for a ride in the car, I think it’s needed for our mental health to get out as much as we can.
Lifestyle changes
These are just a few things that I have changed to still do things I enjoy. It can be hard at times, but I want to keep doing as much as I can for as long as I can so I will just keep adapting or have some help with certain activities.
Of course, we are all in different stages in our COPD life so these adaptions may not be the same for everyone.
Have you adapted your lifestyle to still be able to do things? Please share with us in the comments below.
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