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Tips for Managing SMA-related Fatigue
Fatigue is common for many people with SMA. Between the extra energy it takes for us to perform basic tasks and the day-to-day struggles of getting to places and arranging caregiver schedules, daily life can be pretty exhausting.
Especially while you’re still a student, you want to make sure to take care of your physical and mental health. Having made it through college myself, I wanted to just share a few tips for managing fatigue while also managing academics.
Take Breaks When Necessary: Always remember that it’s ok to take breaks during the day, no matter how many things you have to do. Sometimes this can be something simple, like going off to your room or somewhere private and leaning back in your chair. Listen to some music alone and just block out all of the day-to-day chaos for a few moments. Or maybe you need to get together with a friend for lunch or coffee. Take care of yourself, and don’t let school stress overwhelm you.
Communicate Your Needs to Your Professors: The best way to make sure that your professors know about your physical limitations and your needs is to communicate with them directly. You can’t expect them to know everything about SMA, and how it affects a person. You have to be the one to tell them what you need and when you need accommodations. Self-advocacy is one of the most important skills you can practice in college, and it will help you tremendously in the future.
Set a Schedule for Yourself in Advance: To ensure that you have time to go to class, complete coursework, socialize and relax, setting a schedule for yourself really helps. If you try to “wing it” everyday, you’ll quickly become overwhelmed. I’m not saying you have to have every minute of your day planned, but it helps to have a general idea of what each one will look like so that you have a set time to relax. Also, I recommend having a balance of in-person and online classes. I’ve written about this topic before in my column, and in my opinion it really helps you develop a more balanced schedule.
What about you all? What tips do you have for addressing fatigue and still taking care of your responsibilities as a student?
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1 Reply
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Great suggestions!
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