How to sharpen your focus and find a brighter future.

Lana Barhum is a legal assistant, patient advocate, freelance writer, blogger, and single parent. She has lived with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia since 2008 and uses her experiences to share expert advice on living successfully with chronic illness.

Setting resolutions for the new year poses a problem for people living with chronic illnesses. While we hope and strive for good health, we continue to struggle with our illnesses 365 days a year. We often miss out on the blessings of the future because we dwell on a past that involved good health. But, being chronically ill should not keep you from moving forward and making healthy resolutions.

Keep your focus in 2016

Setting New Year’s resolutions when you are chronically ill requires a willingness to move forward to reach sensible and realistic goals. Here are five attainable resolutions people with chronic illness can focus on in 2015.

Focus on what you can do. Strive for goals that can help you to live your life as fully as you can. Forget about the things you are no longer able to do and set small goals that you know you can achieve. For example, you may not be able to resolve job stress and how it affects your illness but you can relax more and be grateful for all the things you can accomplish daily.

Focus on being connected. Living with chronic illness can make you feel very alone. Resolve to stay connected to help you to better cope with your illness. Find new ways to connect with friends and loved ones and to be open about challenges you face. You can also talk to others who have the same illness by finding a support group, either in your local community or online.

Focus on being a smarter patient. As you know, chronic illness is a lifelong burden that shortens your life, causes you physical pain, and strains your finances. Resolve to be a smart patient by better communicating with your doctor, being aware of when you should see your doctor, talking to your pharmacist, and getting a second opinion when necessary. Further, know your family history, bring questions to doctor visits, and stay up to date on your own medical history, treatments, and medications. Most importantly, take the time to reassess your priorities as a patient, and put more time and effort into keeping yourself out of hospitals as much as you possibly can.

Focus on asking for help. Let your friends and loved ones know how they can help you in 2016. Keep a list of people who you can ask for help with self-care, getting to appointments, household chores, or running errands. Learn to be comfortable asking for help and accepting it. People are happy to help and appreciate being asked.

Focus on baby steps toward healthy choices. Living with your illness requires lifestyle changes, including losing weight, stopping smoking, being more active, and maintaining a healthy diet. Try a “baby steps” approach in 2016 so you are more likely to make healthier choices. For example, instead of focusing on losing 50 pounds this year, focus on cutting out sugary drinks and sweets. Opt for grilled options instead of fried, and stock your fridge with healthier foods. Park farther away so you can walk to your destination, or find a walking buddy. Join a quit smoking program and enlist the help of your doctor and family and friends to help you quit.

Strive to move forward and feel good

Making New Year’s resolutions might be easy, but following through is the hard part—especially if you continue to look back to the past rather than focusing on the present and future. If you are serious about making resolutions for 2016, strive to move forward and to feel good about yourself. Just remember that your resolutions should be doable and should help you to adjust your day-to-day life so that you can better co-exist with your illness.

Happy moving forward and feeling good in 2016!

To learn more about this topic:
New Year's Resolution: Celebrate the Victories
What You Can Do to Preserve Your Mobility
Arthritis and Communication: How to Communicate Your Needs