The pain and disability linked with the condition of rheumatoid arthritis can affect the complete life of a person. It can also bring depression and anxiety along with it. The difficulties associated with this condition can be managed by following some tips. The best thing a patient with rheumatoid arthritis must do is to follow the advice of your doctor and prescribed dosing regimen. You can take the aid of your doctor to learn such tips. You may also follow some of the following coping tips to manage with this condition.

  • Know your limits: Take rest whenever you feel tired. Take a short nap so that you do not face difficulty in night time sleeping.
  • Take time for yourself: Spend time in doing things which you like such as writing, going for walk or listening to
  • Pay attention to the pain: The pain, which lasts more than an hour after an activity or causes the swelling of the joint, should not be ignored. Change activity level and avoid the worsening of your pain.
  • Change your position often: Change your positions often while sitting or driving to prevent stiffness.
  • Use the right tools: You can use the right type of tools designed for arthritis patients such as large-diameter pens that ease the gripping movements.
  • Medicine Adjustments: Consult your doctor to adjust the medicines temporarily according to your condition. This will help to relieve the pain and prevent the damage, which may occur due to unchecked inflammation.
  • Self-Care: You must take self-care steps such as balance periods of activity with a period of rest.  Even if you feel like spending a long time in bed, you have to get up, as you should have periods of rest along with the periods  of  light
  • Communicate with family and friends: Talk with your family and friends about the effect of flare-ups on you. Also connect with other people who have rheumatoid arthritis.
  • Apply a hot or cold pack: This will help the inflamed joints. Heating pack relieves the pain by increasing the flow of blood towards the inflamed joints. You can apply these packs twice or thrice in a day for 15 minutes each time. Cold pack reduces the pain and inflammation by constricting the blood vessels.
  • Practice relaxation techniques: These techniques include meditation, yoga and other mind relaxing techniques. It will indirectly help to reduce the pain by managing the stress.