Updating a coping strategy

I've been disabled for nearly 20 years, with multiple conditions that have variable symptoms and the main 'treatment' is self-management.

This means my life is full of coping techniques and strategic planning. Dealing with all the fluctuations and limitations as well as I can, and setting up systems that should ensure maximum coping/maximum functioning capacity in my daily life.

These systems are great - they massively reduce the mental load of self management because I have a default that I can use whenever needed - something I can take off the shelf and use rather than have to create it from scratch each time.

But they have a drawback: Once set up and in use, the systems don't get reviewed very often - just used (often when I'm most symptomatic). So if my needs gradually change over a long period, I might not notice that my strategy could do with adjusting.

Here's an example.

Last week I realised that even though I didn't need wheelchair access to my bedroom 8 years ago, creating wheelchair access to my bedroom now would make a huge difference. The trigger for this realisation was lying in bed feeling physically sick at the thought of how hard it would be to walk to my chest of drawers to get clean clothes. It would, infact, have been useful for the past year or two, but I was too busy coping to notice.

So instead of getting dressed, I internet shopped a new bedside table set up that would give space for wheelchair access - BEST DECISION EVER!

There's also a narrow shelf/caddy against the wall to my right with key daily use stuff on it (babywipes, face wash, hair stuff, etc) so I can sit on wheels on a rough day and everything I need for getting up is within reach, and visible (to reduce processing needed).

Despite being hugely symptomatic all week, it was so lovely to be able to get in and out of my room on wheels, and it reduced the energy demand of daily living significantly on those bad days.

Yes, it's kinda a very obvious solution - but I was so busy coping I couldn't step back to notice until it kinda hit me in the face.