Lifestyle &
Wellbeing

Look after your health and wellbeing

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Taking good care of yourself could dramatically improve your sense of wellbeing and your ability to manage your condition.

Eating a healthy diet can help you towards maintaining a healthy weight, keeping your energy levels up and strengthening your immune system to fight off illness. Getting enough sleep could help you feel able to cope with your condition better mentally and physically. Rest and relaxation can be particularly helpful when you are experiencing flares. At these times pacing yourself can help you to have enough energy for your activities. Exercise and physical activity can be good for you and it could help you to keep your joints moving and ease any pain or stiffness. Try to avoid smoking and drinking too much as this could also aggravate your symptoms.

Taking time to talk to your friends and family can help to keep you mentally strong too.

It's important to exercise when you have PsA

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The condition causes pain and stiffness in your joints which can lead to a reduced range of movement, so it's important to keep moving.

Exercising can help to ease the pain and stiffness that you feel too. Low impact exercise has been shown to improve wellbeing and using your muscles helps to keep them strong and make physical activities easier. Different types of movement have different benefits.

Any new lifestyle changes, including changes to how you exercise, should be agreed by your doctor or healthcare professional first.

Other things that might help

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You may experience anxiety, depression, mood swings and anger as a result of having a condition like PsA. Along with regular exercise and healthy lifestyle, there are ways in which these symptoms can be tackled and hopefully help you to feel better.

Try keeping a journal of your thoughts and feelings, this could help to clear your mind and give an outlet to your emotions. You could also join an online support group where you can share and discuss your pains and frustrations with other people with PsA and notice you're not alone in your struggles. Seek medical advice if at any time you feel the emotions are too much to bear, discussing these feelings with your doctor could really help.

What is the impact of your PsA

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We've created this simple tool to help you talk with your doctor about how your PsA is affecting you in your daily life and how this may be changing over time.

Fill in the questionnaire

Make a note of any other aspects of your PsA that might be compromising your everyday life

Complete and download the questionnaire regularly to help build a bigger picture of your PsA for the next time you speak to your healthcare professional

Take the questionnaire >>