Living with a long-term condition can be a daily challenge. However old you are and however long you've lived with your condition, you’ll have different levels of tolerance and ways of coping.
Taking care of your own health, known as self care, can help you overcome the day-to-day challenges of your condition. This can help you make the most of life, rather than avoiding or missing out on things because of it. Self care puts you in control. Research shows that people with long-term conditions who take more control of their health have a much better quality of life.
It really helps to lead a healthy lifestyle if you have a long-term condition. Watching what you eat and drink and getting more exercise will boost your general wellbeing, improve your mobility and help ease your symptoms.
Read our page on how to make small changes to improve your lifestyle and use our series of healthy living interactive tools for personalised advice on how to improve your lifestyle.
For more practical tips on living with a long-term condition, you can read or download two leaflets called the Self Care Toolkit and the Pain Toolkit. They're packed with handy tips to help people with a persistent health condition manage better on a day-to-day basis.
You can order hard copies of the toolkits on www.orderline.dh.gov.uk or by telephoning 0300 123 100. Quote 403298/Self Care Toolkit or 403298/Pain Toolkit.
The author of the leaflets has asthma and osteoarthritis and experiences pain regularly, so he really understands what it's like to cope with a long-term condition. He gives the kind of practical advice that can really make a difference.
Angus Community Health Services have produced a DVD based on the Self Care Toolkit booklet developed by Pete Moore and Dr Frances Cole. Watch it online via the NHS Tayside website.
