If these past few years have taught me anything it's that the human body is a precious temple and you need to listen to it no matter how busy you are in your life. You need to take care of you no matter what. Whether it be cutting ties with toxic relationships, having a healthier diet, or as little as taking a 5-minute break to gather yourself together and get back into it.

As a person who deals with a chronic illness, I have begun to learn more about myself and my body than I ever had in the previous years. I want to share this in hopes that it may help others with chronic illness or those who are overworked and overstressed. Take care of yourself, my friends, you are your body's biggest support. So here are some things I do to take care of myself and my body.

1. Do a little yoga

As an athletic person, I never considered doing yoga. Due to my chronic illness though I could barely lift and do many sports activities because how hard it affects the joints. So I tried out yoga and to my surprise, I really got a workout and it was easy on the joints.

2. Go for a run

Running is something I go back and forth with, but if you are able to run or even go for a brisk walk it is very helpful. Moving your body and keeping it from getting stiff is very important. Plus going outside is great for the body and mind.

3. Sleep it off

Get those 8-10 hours of sleep. This is something I struggle to do due to my busy workload, but I try really hard. I'm guilty of putting my work before my health which is horrible. Don't be like me sleep our body truly needs it.

4. Relax in a warm bath

Specifically for the joints, this has really soothed my body. Take at least 30 minutes for yourself relax in a warm bath, put some soothing music, and calm the body.

5. Drink up the green tea

I have read many articles and research that green tea suppresses inflammation. From my experience, I also agree with this. I drink green tea in the morning and in the evening and it has helped me immensely controlling the pain in my joints. Plus it has so many other health benefits for the body!

6. My new favorite ingredient turmeric

Turmeric is another one of those trial and error ingredients. For me, it has helped in the long run. Drink it in a tea, make curry, or just add it to your dish. This ingredient has helped reduce the pain in my body.

7. Stay optimistic

I get that it is hard to stay optimistic, but to take care of yourself you must. Things get hard a long the way and I totally understand that whether if you have a chronic illness or not. TImes get tough, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel trust me we can get through this.

8. Cleanse your diet

A big thing I did was start from scratch you could say. I went through this cleansing of my body and then began reintroducing healthy foods for myself. Again trial and error taught me what my body appreciated and what it didn't. It does take time, but once you get a hang of the process you benefit greatly from it.

9. Try something different, like acupuncture

You may think there are only a certain amount of options to take care of yourself and your illnesses, but there's not. There are actually so many different paths you can take. Don't be afraid to try new things. I was unsure of acupuncture at first (not a fan of needles), but I gave it a try and the before and after massage, the acupuncture session, and soothing hour I get for myself really does the body well.

10. Never give up

Things can look glum right now, but don't give up. I understand that at one point life was easy and stress-free and you can't go back to that, but part of you can. Don't let little things that won't matter 5 years from now get you stuck in a rut. Be open to new ideas, ignore the negative comments, and keep pushing forward, you got this.