The festive season can be an exciting and special time for spending time with family and friends, eating festive foods and celebrating.
However, for people living with chronic illnesses, this busy time can potentially become quite stressful, and/or overwhelming due to both the mental and physical aspects of dealing with symptoms as they arise.
To help make the festive season as enjoyable as possible, below is a list of things that you and I, along with family, friends and loved ones can do to make the most of the festive season.
You see, we need to focus on managing stress and fatigue, prioritizing temperature regulation and skin care, and making mindful adjustments to our schedule and diet. Planning ahead and communicating with family, friends and loved ones is key to a restorative holiday period.
Plan and Pace Yourself – The holidays often include a host of extra activities and involve a break from our ‘normal’ routine, which can be challenging with a chronic condition. So, prioritising activities and saying “No!” can be extremely helpful. Communicating and sharing expectations with family and friends can give everyone time to mentally prepare and adjust to festive plans ahead of time.
From time to time when making plans I’ve had to let people know that I may have to postpone, or cancel at the last moment due to a flare-up, or because I’m experiencing a ‘hit-by-a-bus’ day – and that’s OK!
We need to decide which activities matter most and to focus our energy on those. It is perfectly okay to decline invitations or leave activities and events early to get the rest that we need. Sharing
Therefore we need to plan ahead – Make lists for shopping and cooking, and consider preparing meals, or parts of meals in advance and freezing them. This reduces last-minute stress, anxiety etc.
It is also helpful to maintain routines as best as we can: Try to stick to some aspects of our normal daily routine, such as eating and sleeping times, as much as possible.
Schedule times of rest and relaxation – It’s beneficial to plan downtime in-between activities and social events, allow for traveling and ‘settling’ time; giving yourself space to rest and relax before moving on to the next thing.
I’ve previously written about the importance of energy conservation techniques, it may be helpful to relook at these and incorporate them into your life going forward, they have certainly helped me 🙂
The thing is, pacing ourselves is vital to avoid burnout and manage our fatigue.
Manage Physical Symptoms – It is important to protect our hands, feet, and core body from cold exposure, especially when reaching into the likes of fridges and freezers when out shopping at supermarkets for festive foods.
And for those living in colder countries it’d be helpful to wear layers of warm clothing, thermal socks, hats, scarfs and gloves. Heated gloves and blankets can also be beneficial to help regulate our core body temperature.
Even those living in warmer climates need to be aware of temperature fluctuations when out and about – Even in the middle of summer I have a beanie, scarf, gloves and jacket in the car, just in case, as often times the wind-chill factor can cause me to get a chill 😦
Another way to help protect our skin is to use mild, fragrance-free cleansers and moisturize frequently with thick creams or ointments to prevent dryness and injury. Use a humidifier if indoor air is dry.
We also need to keep active, continue gentle exercises or stretching to maintain joint flexibility and improve circulation. It may be helpful to discuss an appropriate exercise plan for over the festive season with your healthcare team (doctor / general practitioner, health coach, occupational / physical therapist etc.).
It is beneficial to ensure that we have enough of our prescribed medicines to last through to the end of the holiday period, as pharmacies close on certain days and their hours may change. Also it’s helpful to preset our phone alarms so that we are reminded to take them on time.
Holiday meals when we are out and about can often present challenges such as digestive symptoms like heartburn and bloating.
But simple adjustments and being mindful of what we are eating and drinking can help us manage the effects.
Therefore, we need to eat smart and opt for several small, frequent meals rather than a few large, heavy ones. We need to avoid trigger foods and reduce or avoid items known to cause heartburn, such as caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, spicy, or fatty foods.
Staying hydrated, drinking plenty of water throughout the day, even in cooler weather is also beneficial we should be drinking liquids at least half an hour before or after meals, not necessarily during meals as it helps maximise the effectiveness of the digestive system (although the jury is still out on that for some studies, as some would argue that it is helpful having a drink of water between courses).
However, eating slowly and chewing food thoroughly has been found to be helpful for our digestive systems.
Ultimately, we need to look after ourselves during the busy festive season. Be open and honest with ourselves, our family, friends and loved ones about how you are feeling and anticipate having to make adjustments so that you can participate comfortably and reasonably.
The thing is, the festive season looks different for everyone, and it is ok if you’re not feeling the festive cheer. The important thing is that you don’t force celebration on yourself and or others.
You see, living with a dynamic, chronic illness can be emotionally taxing, especially during a time focused on celebrating. Prioritize your emotional, physical and mental health: Practice stress-relief techniques like deep breathing or mindfulness and focus on small joys, and the moments of connection that matter most to you.
Remember to try and get outside during the day to keep your body clock in sync, and give yourself time in the evening to wind-down and truly relax.
Now, if you are anything like me you’ll probably need to look at limiting screen time before bed also as this can heighten anxiety and stress, and prevent the brain from resting in a timely way.
Another thing to be aware of is being conscious of potential sensory overload – the array of decorations, lights, adverts, christmas carols and songs, and even wrapping heaps of presents during the festive season can become extremely overwhelming.
So, getting the whole family involved in deciding on the decorations for the home, including colours, the kind of decorations and where to have them can be helpful. It might be more manageable to decorate sparingly, avoid scented items, and use gift bags instead of wrapping paper.
Leave some areas of the home decoration free and quiet, so that you or a loved one can retreat when in need of some downtime. If visiting family or friends, you could ask them if they can make a space, or room free of all the bells and whistles also, or ideally what decorations and gifts they might want to avoid.
Lastly, remember to be adaptable and flexible, be open to changing traditions rather than doing the things that you’ve done in the past that might take all your energy and trigger a flare-up; try some low-pressure activities and get creative, engage in crafts, puzzles or baking to feel productive and festive.
Avoid comparing your reality to that of others on social media, maybe it could be helpful to take a break from whichever platform you are on for a while, so that you’re not adding any additional pressure / stress up on yourself.
Hopefully the above tips can help you and your family, friends and loved ones to get through the festive season, whether this means a time full of joy and delight, or a time where everyone feels comfortable.
Blessings ’til next time 🙂
The life and times of Perry... 