Organizing for your Health
Not only do I feel the intense need to be organized because I’m lazy, it’s also because I’m chronically ill*. When I’m stressed (which clutter contributes to), my symptoms flare up and I can feel awful for days. So I make it a point to be as organized as possible when it comes to my health. And today I’m going to share with you so that hopefully it can also make life a little easier if you are struggling with any sort of health issue, whether it be physical or mental.
*The disorders I have are Chiari Malformation, Syringomyelia and POTS. My doctors are in agreement that I have subclinical hypothyroidism as well so...yeah, being in my body is fun lol
I recently went live on Instagram and saved it to my IGTV giving a full rundown of my health journey along. Fair warning, it’s a long one! But I’m so glad that I did because I’ve now had multiple people reach out to me saying that they’re struggling with many of the same symptoms and I’ve been able to guide them to the right doctors/testing to get a proper diagnosis.
FYI it took me about 5 years to get the Chiari and Syringomyelia diagnoses and about a year and a half for POTS. If you’ve ever been through something like this, you know how incredibly frustrating, time consuming, anxiety inducing and disheartening of a process it is!
In the second half of the IGTV, I give quite a few organizing tips that I personally use and am going to lay them out here as well plus visuals and links. I know, I know sometimes visuals are a better way to process info! At least for me … oh, did I mention? I also have ADD in addition to all my wonky rare disorders. Just ADD it to the list. Ok, I’ll stop.
Below, here are my best tips to keep yourself sane while you’re battling anything when it comes to your health!
1. Store all items you need to stay healthy today and where you use them.
Here are some examples:
All of my RX meds and my vitamins that I take daily are stored in one drawer in my kitchen. Why the kitchen? Because I take them with water and/or with breakfast. Having them in this spot (which is right near my water glasses and where I prep breakfast FYI) makes my life SO much easier than if I stored them in my bathroom, linen closet or bedroom. I also started inhaling Liquid IV since I received my POTS diagnosis so I created a home for the packets in this drawer as well.
Since I battle a lot of chronic pain, I have quite a bit of things I use to relieve them including a stim pen, heating pads and massage balls. I usually use them when I’m in the living room watching TV so I have a bin under my TV cabinet that stores everything..
I also use topical things such CBD balm and Arnicare but like to put them on either after a shower or when I’m washing up before bed. So these make the most sense to store in my bathroom. I have a basket in there with other body products such as bath bombs, extra soap and body lotion.
Having things stored together and where I use them makes taking, using or applying them to make me feel better an easier process. The things you need to feel better should have an important home in your home. Don’t overlook or neglect this!
I used these white bamboo drawer dividers to keep items separated. And if you’re interested in Liquid IV (the tangerine flavor is SO freakin good plus it has immune support!\), you can find it on Amazon, Target and Walmart.
I store the liquid stuff in this white Nordic basket right outside my shower. It comes in gray too!
2. Get yourself a weekly pill organizer and fill it up once per week.
I take a couple RX meds and about 4 vitamins per day. Instead of opening and closing a bunch of bottle every day, I only have to open it once per week! It also lets me know for sure if I took my meds and vitamins every day because I can visually see it (rather than rely on my terrible memory). I can tell you that this, by far, has been one of the best systems I’ve set up for myself. And it’s so simple/costs next to nothing!
3. Go digital with your doctor appointments.
If you have lots of testing, follow ups and even fasting times to remember, resist the urge to grab those physical appointment cards they try to hand you at reception. I will literally stop them as they’re trying to write it out LOL Because I know that inevitably the card will just get stuck in my bag or thrown on my desk or the kitchen island and annoy me.
I put the appointment directly into my Google calendar which is a widget on my iphone (meaning I can access it super quick). I also will make sure I have the following info in my doctor’s contact in my phone:
The name of the office/doctor
The phone/fax number and email address if I have one
Their website if there is one
The address
In the notes, I add their office hours or at least the days they’re open, if there’s a PA or nurse I saw that I love and anything else I think I may want to remember later (without having to remember it)
Having everything at my fingertips makes it easier to know where I have to be and when without looking for little pieces of paper.
4. Speaking of going digital, make sure you do that for your records or insurance as well.
Thankfully, most blood work, etc. is sent via a patient portal now but they still may try to give you physical paperwork. Or you may have a ton of it from over the years. You can also choose to go paperless with your insurance company but, again, they often still send you stuff via the mail.
If you’re drowning in medical paperwork and can’t take the clutter, now is the time to start making things digital. I created a folder in my Google drive called Medical and I upload things that I would like to have to reference back to if need be but don’t need the paper piling up. You scan the paperwork or be a little lazier like me and just snap photos of it and upload to the drive. You can also give someone else access to it like your partner, parent, child, emergency contact, whoever you trust to be in the know about your medical stuff.
One thing I would suggest - although I feel very safe with Google drive - is to white or black out any sensitive info such as SSN, DOBs, etc. before you upload.
Once you have them in there, simply shred the papers. If you don’t already have a small home shredder (I’ve used this one from Amazon for yearsss), then take it to your local Staples, UPS store or even find out if your town is having a free shredding event in the near future.
5. Don’t underestimate the power of aesthetically pleasing things to motivate you to be healthier.
Case in point : I need to be very hydrated to feel better and have never been used to drinking high quantities of water. Wine, sure. Half a bottle can go down in a blink of an eye but water? Takes me half a day to even drink a glass. So I found this really cute water bottle with time stamps on it to remind you to drink every hour. It’s totally a mental thing but think about how having cute workout clothes makes you want to workout more? Same concept!
I hope you’ve found these tips helpful no matter what it is you’re battling. Being sick is never fun but it’s part of being human. Life gets busy and homes get messy but we have the power to tidy up. We also have the power to make our health a priority and keep it as organized as possible.
If you have any questions, whether it be about organizing or you have any of the same disorders as me, please feel free to reach out to me on IG or through email mary@organizedoverall.com
Here’s to being happy, healthy and organized overall!
PS I have an Etsy shop now if you’re looking for gifts for that organized person in your life!
*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.