In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Maya Joshi and Cheryl Koehn discuss conquering anxiety and fear related to your arthritis and the process of showing yourself that you are more than your disease. Maya begins by explaining the physical and psychological barriers that have held her back in the past and then highlights the strategies that have helped her overcome these barriers, using the example of a recent canoe trip.
Maya Joshi is the Programs Coordinator at Arthritis Consumer Experts and a student at the University of British Columbia. Maya was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis about 4 years ago just after graduating high school. Since then, Maya has become an active member in the arthritis community, always learning from and inspired by other patients, researchers and healthcare providers. Although she has experienced a number of disease challenges that have significantly impacted her life as a young adult, she is making exciting strides in her disease journey, working her way back to feeling like her “normal” self again.
Helpful links
Arthritis At Home: https://arthritisathome.jointhealth.org/
Mental health and arthritis: a complex relationship: https://jointhealth.org/programs-jhinsight-view.cfm?id=1231&locale=en-CA
How to stay active and exercise at home during COVID-19 with Dr. Linda Li: https://arthritisathome.jointhealth.org/?p=590
Patient resources for inflammatory arthritis: https://jointhealth.org/pdfs/ModelsOfCare_E.pdf