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Hi there:   Just tell them what you have and that it may limit some things you are unable to do. I just went through the same thing in May with my boyfriend (I am 28 and have had RA for six years), he moved down to the city I'm in to be with me and we had to move what he didn't bring here to his parents house. They understood and didn't mind at all, I felt bad for not being able to help, but in the end, you have to do what is best for you, you have to protect your joints and body.   If you have a job, do the same thing there, as well. I've learned that people are more understanding that I thought they were and it's really helped me when there are things I just can't do. For example, my supersvisor wanted me to help her move some very heavy file cabinets this morning, she knew I couldn't do this, so I stood off to the side while another coworker who was able to move the files did so. I would also say take a stance if someone is pushing you to do something that you know you physically are not able to do, sometimes you have to be assertive.   If you educate people on RA and what it does to the body, they really get a picture of what it is you deal with on a daily basis. I've found with me, I put more pressure on myself thinking that I can do the same things I did prior to becoming "sick"...I've slowly (and still am) realizing that although I am limited in what I can do, there's nothing stopping me from accomplishing the goals that I want in life. RA also makes you creative! In order to better function, you learn to use your resources to open, move, etc. things that you can no longer do as well as you use to. You also get to research all kinds of RA friendly gadgets! There are some neat items out there!