Managing Work, Life, and the Unpredictability of Chronic Hives

One of the most challenging aspects of my chronic hives journey has been navigating life during flare-ups and figuring out how to live normally. I think I took for granted the feeling of waking up and not having to check the mirror to see whether my lips, eyes, or mouth were swollen. Never mind if I had huge patches of hives on my face. How do you explain that you feel okay, but just look quite uncomfortable to those around you?

Redefining self care with chronic hives

Many people talk about having to navigate work-life balance—making sure that they make time for their family, their friends, and, most importantly, themselves. But self care means so much more to those who have chronic hives.

It means watching what you eat to keep histamine levels low. It means taking the time to check in with your doctors. It means finding joy in the good days. It means finding peace within the unknown. I believe that the most frustrating part of chronic idiopathic hives is the unknown.

Living with the uncertainty of flares

The unknown is a scary place to live sometimes. It’s expecting the worst even though you are doing your best to combat it. Personally, I have shifted my perspective of the unknown flare up to not waiting for the shoe to drop, but to counting the good days I have between flare ups.

If the balance I am trying to achieve is working, I may not have a flare up for a week or two at a time. Which is great! But when I don’t find that balance, and I am burning the candle at both ends, those days between are shorter.

Finding strength in boundaries and support

I will say that with that balance, for me at least, I can find guilt in saying ‘no’ to things that I normally would find joy in. For example, I can’t tell you how many times I have had to take a rain check on dinner with a friend or reschedule a weekend outing because my flare ups have been too much, or I can feel that my stress level is rising. It makes me feel guilty; it makes me feel like a bad friend. But I know that I am doing the best I can in the moment for me. Luckily, I have found a good tribe of friends who understand my situation and always make room for me to heal, mentally and physically

Prioritizing your well-being

So how can you make the best of a work/life balance when you never know when a flare up is around the corner? I don’t know if there is a one-size-fits-all answer. Taking care of you may look like saying ‘no’ to yet another meeting, taking a personal day to rest, or finding moments in your day to block time for a walk or fresh air.

Whatever it is that works for you, make sure you find it. Because amongst all of the other stressors in life, chronic hives can consume your lifestyle, only if you let it.