Surviving the Holidays with Chronic Illness

The holidays are stressful for everyone, and stress results in fatigue, especially for those of us with Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS/ME), or Lupus.

Instead of enjoying the holidays we end up dreading worrying about all the things that will drain our energy when those things should be giving us joy. But, with a little planning, surviving the holidays with chronic illness is possible.

Gifts Giving

The holidays shouldn’t be about mountains of gifts with no meaning. Instead of worrying about how many gifts you will buy, think about the meaning behind each gift you give.

Keep it simple and limit your gift giving.

Pace yourself by starting your shopping early- like, on December 26.

Do as much shopping as possible online, and if you must go out avoid Black Friday and Christmas Eve and limit yourself to one store per day.

Remember that many times the most meaningful gift is the gift of your time and presence.

Holiday Dinners

Family can be one of the most stressful things about the holidays, but they can also be the most joyful thing.

Don’t get sucked into hosting the holiday gathering. While it may seem appealing to have everyone come to you, hosting is a lot of work and requires a lot of preparation.

Let someone else host the holiday gathering. That way all you have to do is show up and bring a dish. Better yet, you can leave when you get tired and you don’t get stuck with the cleanup.

Travel

Travel is stressful and wears on the body, no matter which travel mode you choose.

You can’t be in more than one place at the same time and you shouldn’t try to be in more than one place on the same day.

Choose one place to visit for each holiday and visit others at other times of the year. If you must travel, make sure to schedule recovery time after each trip or event.

Better yet, go visit your family or let the family come visit you at other times of year and reserve holidays for your immediate family.

The holidays are typically full of shopping, travel and family, and all of those can bring a lot of stress.

Don’t let the holiday season overwhelm you. When choosing who you will spend your holiday with try to choose the family members that will cause you the least stress.

If your family stresses you out, it may be best to make other plans. Pace yourself when shopping and traveling and always take time to relax.

What’s your favorite tip for surviving the holidays? Share it in the comments below.

What’s your favorite tip for surviving the holidays? #spoonie #Fibro #chronicillness #stressfree Share on X

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