6 Secrets for Homesteading with Chronic Illness and Pain

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From Cancer to Country Living

When I first heard the words, “You have cancer,” I didn’t think it would be the fork in the road that led to realizing our homestead dream. While we had already started to make some shifts to a healthier lifestyle after my husband Kevin was diagnosed with rare autoimmune issues several years earlier, the homesteading ideal always seemed out of reach. 

I found out I had breast cancer (2 types) in 2015 while we were living in a rental house in Seattle. For us, cancer was a strange gift. Cancer helped us realize it was time to stop speculating on our dreams and start living them with whatever time we had left on this earth. By early 2016 we had made the decision to become homesteaders. In 2018 we moved onto our own 1.3 acres in the rural Snoqualmie Valley of Washington State.

Going from cancer to country living has not been an easy road. Seven years of surgeries have taken their toll. I have struggled with my overall wellness as I have managed chronic pain, fatigue, and fears of recurrence. At first I thought I was alone in dealing with these struggles. But over the years I have found that these experiences are very common, especially for young survivors like me. I was diagnosed at age 35, nearly 30 years below the national average.

Our serious health issues motivated us to stop speculating on our dreams and start living them. But living - and homesteading - with chronic illness and pain poses unique challenges

As we have become more public about our own health issues and our journey with sustainable living, we have also learned we are not alone in coming to homesteading after a reckoning with mortality. Yet those of us dealing with chronic illness and pain face an extra set of challenges in this very physical lifestyle. Below I’ll cover six secrets we have discovered that can help you on your journey. While these are geared at those who are homesteading with health issues, they are also helpful to anyone. If you are getting into homesteading while living paycheck-to-paycheck or in your golden years after retirement, we think these will be especially helpful.

1. Small is Beautiful

When people think of homesteading, often huge gardens and barns full of livestock come to mind. While those are wonderful, they can require a lot of resources (energy, time, and money). Those are often in short supply for those of us who are managing chronic illness and pain. But that doesn’t have to stop you from living your dream. The beautiful thing about homesteading is that you can start right where you are. Many people homestead in urban and suburban places with limited space. Starting small could be as simple as growing sprouts on a window sill or planting a container garden of herbs on your patio.

Starting small can feel like a compromise but it actually has many benefits. Jumping into big projects or lots of projects at once can quickly lead to overwhelm. We’ve seen many able-bodied homesteaders get themselves into trouble this way and then quickly give up altogether. By starting small and completing one project before starting the next you can help keep your momentum going over the long haul.

We have implemented the idea of “small is beautiful” on our homestead from the beginning. During the first two years on our property my pain was severe and I had to have a very difficult surgery called a DIEP Flap Reconstruction. We knew that eventually we wanted chickens, a greenhouse, and much more, but because of these my health issues (and all the medical bills that go along with them) we couldn’t put everything in at once. So when we moved here, we first started developing a master plan and then prioritizing projects.

In the first year on our own homestead, my entire garden was 4 tomatoes on the patio.

In the first year, we grew a few tomatoes and focused on developing a plan. We did lots of measuring and drawing out ideas. We love using the free 3D software SketchUp to create models. Then we started pricing out how much materials would cost. Next we recorded observations on our land over time in different seasons. As our knowledge grew and our vision began to take shape, we created an order in which we would undertake projects. 

During our second year, we started growing a few more vegetables in containers on our small patio. We also started saving for our front stock tank container garden. While I was recovering from surgery, I was able to put the finishing touches on the plan and order supplies while still on bedrest.

Kevin’s chronic illness and pain show up differently in our homesteading activities. As a Type 1 diabetic who is dependent on insulin injections, he has to carefully plan what he eats and the energy he uses throughout the day. Sometimes though his blood sugar simply doesn’t cooperate and he has to stop working to prevent dangerous lows. We notice the biggest challenges with his blood sugar come with lawn mowing. To help manage, he has portioned out the yard so that if he can’t complete it all in a day, he can cover certain sections and still feel a sense of accomplishment. Sometimes people tell us we should buy a riding lawn mower. We have made the choice not to invest in that expensive piece of equipment because hopefully one day most of our lawn will be productive gardens and livestock paddocks!

2. Slow and Steady Wins

Remember that old fable about the tortoise and the hare? There really is something to it. Yet going slow does not always feel awesome. If you are drawn to homesteading, you are probably highly self-motivated. Big dreams are inspiring. These are good things. But if you are also dealing with very real health issues, it can be challenging mentally and physically. The approach that I’m developing is to allow myself to set ambitious goals, and then let go of attachment to a timeline. Instead I focus on small, consistent action. This creates flexibility in my thinking and I am finding I don’t get stuck in frustration as I did in the past.

An example of how this played out on our homestead recently was planting our apothecary garden. We had purchased plants at a local nursery and I was excited to get them in the ground. But by the time we got home I was feeling a little worn out. As I started to move the compost by wheelbarrow into the garden bed, I knew I wasn’t going to make it through the whole project that day. 

At first I got really upset and felt the desire to ignore my body. Since I’ve already done that enough times to know what a disaster it can be, I stopped. I took a few deep breaths and started thinking about options. The 8 lavender plants we purchased were all root bound, meaning they had been in their small pots too long.  I knew that it would be 1-2 weeks before I could get them in the ground. Just letting them be wasn’t going to be a good option.

So the solution I came up with was to grab some bigger pots from the shed and “pot up” the lavender. Then I placed them in the garden where I wanted to eventually plant them. While this wasn’t my first choice, it had an unintended benefit. Throughout the next week I was able to rearrange the plants in their pots, and ultimately found a better layout than my original plan. 

I used the last of my energy to put these plants in larger pots for another day. This compromise ended up giving me more time to plan out the new garden.

Another way that we implement going slow is with finances. One of our big life goals is stay fiscally responsible. When it comes to homesteading, we try our best not to start a project until we have saved up enough money to pay for the whole thing in cash. We’ve also found (through a lot of trial and error) that doing a project right the first time is often way better overall. But that usually means more expense up front. So it can be a while before we have saved enough to get started. We use that waiting time to continue researching, refining and learning new skills for the project. This has helped us feel much more prepared and confident to take on new projects, and we have avoided a lot of common pitfalls with this method!

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3. Comparison is the Thief of Joy

Sites like Pinterest and Instagram can be great places to find inspiration. But the dark side is that it can be easy to let comparison creep into the equation as you scroll. I’ll admit that I’ve had some negative feelings when I see people being able to quickly and easily makeover a kitchen or put in a huge garden on sunny, flat land. I have started to drastically limit my time on social media by using an app called OnSec on my phone. Whenever I go to open a social media app, it walks me through a big, deep breath and then asks me if I really want to open that app. It’s been a game changer! On average I’m saving HOURS of scrolling time not to mention having more energy and joy for my homestead.

On the other side of the coin we have had people compare their homestead to ours. This has resulted in a judgmental, negative comments about the beauty of our stock tank garden. People have said things like it must be nice to afford such expensive materials. Whichever way the comparison game goes, it doesn’t end well. What people don’t see (including me) is the blood, sweat, tears, and time that went into making those pretty pictures possible. 

Another way to flip the script on comparison is choosing to help celebrate and support those in my community who may be farther along in achieving their homesteading dreams. Rather than feel sorry for myself that I don’t yet have chickens or enough space to grow all of our own food, I can buy or trade with neighbors for those things. In this way we all benefit! 

For me personally, the biggest pitfall I experience is comparing various versions of myself. The current me is not as physically capable as the version of me 8 years ago. I was in the best shape of my life when I was diagnosed with cancer. While my doctors remind me that I’m doing well, I can still feel frustrated about my fatigue and diminished strength.  

This is where some tough love has really helped. I did not get to choose having cancer and Kevin did not get to choose his autoimmune system issues. But we do get to choose how we respond to them. Ultimately my wellbeing is my responsibility. Your well being is your responsibility. It’s up to each of us to manage our minds and start to nudge ourselves away from limiting beliefs. This isn’t easy, especially when navigating things like health insurance while you feel crummy. Some of the ways' I have been able to build up resiliency in this area are through daily meditation, gratitude practices and regular forest bathing. Maybe prayer or some other practice is a better fit for you.

That’s not to say that I completely ignore my feelings (take my word for it, I’ve tried that. It doesn’t work). When I allow myself a moment to acknowledge the pain I’ve endured, then gently bring my focus to all I still have instead of all that I have lost, I have much more energy. And that is my goal. I want all the energy I can get because I plan to use this second chance to the best of my ability.

Some days are hard. On those I pause, acknowledge what I’ve gone through and then focus on all that I have. Like this beautiful rhubarb root.

4. Use it or Lose it

Homesteading is a full body activity. If you are living with chronic illness and pain you don’t need me to remind you that your body doesn’t work like most peoples. Capacity can vary wildly from day to day. We can all benefit from great big doses of self care. Things like sleep, hydration, and regular exercise are where we start.

Every morning we do some form of exercise. This might seem counterintuitive. I know that often when I’m experiencing higher bouts of pain or fatigue, the last thing I want to do is work out. Yet we have found that if we don’t consistently use our bodies, we lose strength and ability. 

Depending on how things are going with our chronic illnesses and pain, our exercise routines vary in length and intensity. The most important thing we have found is developing a habit and sticking with it. It took years to refine, but now we both exercises right after breakfast. On workdays that means we have to get up really early. But since it’s now a habit, it’s easy to accomplish an auto-pilot.

Kevin has a stationary exercise bike parked in front of an entertainment center. He watches shows or plays video games while he’s pedaling. This helps keep his autoimmune issues in check and he gets to have some fun at the same time.

Over time we have set up a home gym that we use for daily morning exercise. Even if it’s a just small amount, regularly using your body helps you keep strength and mobility.

For my issues and personality, I do something different. I do a variety of workouts. I use free guided workouts on the YouTube channel “Yoga with Adriene” and a website called EnergyUp. I rotate through cardio, strength, and flexibility routines. All of these guided workouts are wholesome and geared at any level. This helps me feel like I am accomplishing something, regardless of what is happening with my body that day.

I’ve also benefited from physical therapy to recover from my many surgeries. Since we live far from any town, it's not very practical to visit an office. Fortunately I have access to an online service through my insurance called Hinge Health. It’s an app that I use daily, and I also have a coach I can reach by phone or text. This has been the perfect fit for our modern homesteading life!

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5. Work Smarter not Harder

My natural inclination is to DIY everything. Yet we have discovered this is not always the best choice. Even though doing things yourself is often less expensive financially, there can be hidden costs. This is most often in time. Since our health issues limit our capacity, and we work full time jobs, our focused project time is very limited. Plus learning new project skills is time-intensive. So each time we want or need to start a project, we talk it through carefully to determine if we should hire professionals. 

In the last year our roof and siding both needed to be replaced. We know people who have done both of these projects themselves, with a little help from friends. But when we talked it through, we realized that with our chronic illness and pain issues, it would be far less stressful to hire out for these projects.

It ended up costing a lot more money, but was safer and saved us tons of time. The upside is that we were able to use that saved time to focus on our gardens, forest restoration, and indoor makeover projects. The downside is that our plans for a chicken run and greenhouse have been pushed farther out.

Another way we work smarter rather harder is to think about long-term use and maintenance when planning all of our projects. You can see some examples of this in our stock tank garden. Our region is extremely damp, so we went with recycled vinyl fencing instead of wood. We chose 2-foot tall raised beds to be easier on our backs. We went with metal tanks, again because they last longer in our climate, as well as being ready to fill on arrival!

Down time (for health issues or waiting to be able to afford projects) doesn’t have to be wasted time. Consuming books, articles, and documentaries are great investments in your future endeavors.

We usually run out of energy before we run out of motivation. Instead of giving up, we see this as a signal that it is time to switch gears. Even if I can’t push the wheelbarrow anymore that day, I can usually pick up a book or read an article. There are also lots of great documentaries available on YouTube or Netflix. So down time doesn’t have to be wasted time. These investments pay out greatly when we are able to get back to our projects.

6. Savor the Moment

Living with chronic illness and pain is exhausting. The mental and physical fatigue are real, even if other people can’t see it. While homesteading can be demanding, I find that my mind is much calmer when I’m engaged in pulling weeds or kneading bread dough. I have been able to find a peacefulness through homesteading that I have simply not been able to access any other way. And that is a nourishment all its own.

Patience is not a virtue that comes easy to me. But it is essential when homesteading with chronic illness and pain. I’ve been working at it just like any other skill. Learning to slow down has had wonderful unexpected benefits. When I had to stop and stretch while planting squash, I had a chance to see my favorite birds, Turkey Vultures, gliding overhead. I would have missed them had I not needed to pause. Kevin has also had some special moments like this. When he recently had to take a break while waiting for his blood sugar to come up, he saw a weasel peek out from behind a stump.

To help us remember to savor the moment, we got a pair of rocking chairs for the front porch. When our bodies simply can’t keep going, we sit on the porch. In those moments we often talk about our projects, our journey together, and our hopes for the future. Often we don’t allow ourselves to sit down until we must, but those tend to become the sweetest moments of the day. 

Some of our sweetest moments come when we have to stop or slow down. To help us remember to do this more often, we put rocking chairs on the porch.

There is No Right Way to Homestead

While homesteading is a lot of work, and can look different for those of us with health challenges, it’s absolutely worth it. By using your heart, mind, and hands to create some of what you need to survive, you will begin to thrive. As we begin to develop these deeper connections with ourselves, each other, and the natural world around us, we are experiencing a whole new level of healing. We think it might be true for you too.

Wherever you are on your journey, give yourself some credit. Stepping off the beaten path takes courage. Many people are not ready or willing to start taking more personal responsibility for their wellness. The beautiful thing about homesteading is there is no one right way to do it, only the way that’s right for you. We will be here to share our journey and encourage you along the way to living your own homestead dream.