Since the beginning of the pandemic it has been hard to make goals and stick with them. I know I’m not the only one struggling with this. Every January 1st we all have aspirations and goals for the new year. Some stick to them for the first few weeks to a few months and then fade off. Some stick to maybe one goal out of the many they have made, which is awesome because it’s better than nothing. But since the pandemic if all you did was survive then that's an achievement in itself. The rate of mental health illness has increased 600% since 2019! Depression has gone up 63% in adults! I, like many, have suffered from increased depression and anxiety since March 2020.

It’s okay if you haven’t been able to stick to things that you say you were going to work on in the new year for the past two years. In this type of pandemic climate it’s hard to be okay with what's going on. It’s okay to think it’s not fair to have to be extra careful because you have a (chronic illness and transplant, like myself). I know everyone is different and going to do things differently during this time. I'm more on the cautious side and haven’t been eating indoors at places or traveling, which I'm mainly discouraged about. 

For the year 2022, I definitely have a handful of goals. One of the goals I started years ago was “working out consistently”, but a new one that I started a few months ago (because why wait!?) Is to read more! In continuing my goal of working out consistently, I’m adding the challenge of increasing my weights. I want to be able to lift heavier weights, and also to either be able to do 10 consecutive push ups (which actually hurt my sternum where I’m wired shut from transplant) or do 5 pull ups. An added challenge since being on prednisone is that my muscles lose any progress I make if I skip a week in doing a certain exercise, super frustrating!

Another goal I set before COVID began was to travel more, but that had to take a back seat for the past two years. I’m hoping there will be another window of time where cases are decreased and it’s a little safer to fly places because I really want to start traveling again. I know a lot of my transplant friends and friends with cf have been traveling during all of this but I’m paranoid and I always have that little voice in the back of my head that says “what if you get it?” and “what if it’s not as mild symptoms as I’ve seen with some post transplant patients?” My transplant team told me that they’ve had a mix with how their patients had done with getting COVID. Some were okay but some definitely weren’t and had ended up in the hospital on a vent. 

To circle back to my goal of traveling more, I would like to include with that, visiting at least two new national parks which can be done by road trip. This past year I hadn’t visited any new ones, but I did go to Rocky Mountain National Park several times and have crossed off an amazing hike I’ve been wanting to do for years! So this year I will attempt to continue with my past goals and work on making new habits and adventures for 2022!

Help Others Live STRONGER and LONGER- 

Rima currently lives in Aurora Colorado. She received her double lung transplant in May of 2017. Now with the ability to breathe without struggling, Rima is able to do all the things she couldn’t before. Camping in the middle of nowhere without needing breathing treatments or the vest is one of her favorite activities. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental science from Franklin Pierce University in Rindge NH. Rima is an enthusiastic advocate for Cystic Fibrosis. She has been involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for years, she’s even on the advisory board for the Rocky Mountain Chapter in Denver. In her spare time, she spreads awareness online through social media accounts to educate others on cf and post-transplant life. Rima is also a pizza enthusiast and enjoys making pizza from scratch and trying random crazy toppings sometimes.

***Views expressed in the CFLF Blog are those of the bloggers themselves and not necessarily of the Cystic Fibrosis Lifestyle Foundation*** 

***Please speak with your physician before making any changes to your CF management***