Every year the holidays come around and I end up being exhausted. The past two years, I decided to seriously watch my energy levels and actually enjoy the holidays. I’ve learned to prioritize what is important over the past 14 years living with autoimmune arthritis. Here are my seasonal strategies to help me survive the holidays.
1. Avoid the malls if possible. I love to shop. Seriously, I love searching racks or shelves for the perfect item. In the last 10 years, I have struggled not only with the walking that needs to be done in a mall, but the parking lot (lots of extra walking there), and carrying the bags. My arms and hands just don’t do well with that anymore. I now shop online for almost everything. The downside, I have a ton of boxes to breakdown for recycling. The upside, I save my body from exhaustion. (I do the same with grocery shopping. Some stores allows me to order my food, then pick it up at the store. Grocery shopping is my mortal enemy so this helps a lot. There is no fee to pick up the groceries this way. There is a fee if you want to have the food delivered directly to your home. Check your local stores to see what their policies are for pick up and home delivery.
2. Sleep. I’m a horrible sleeper. It takes me 1-2 hours to fall asleep. During the holidays, I stick to a specific bedtime. I might read, but I am laying down and resting. Sticking to that schedule helps me when I want to attend Christmas parties or events. I have a little more rest in my bank to pull from when needed. I also try to nap at least once on the weekend. That doesn’t always happen, but it helps when it does.
3. Decorate. I used to go all out. Now I limit my decorating to the Christmas tree and outside lights. I live alone and it was just getting too hard. I put up what I know I will enjoy and what I can carry easily. It works and my house looks great!
4. Travel. My family lives two hours away so I have to travel for the holiday. I now plan out my wardrobe a week ahead. I am going to admit, that is NOT easy for me. I do the laundry the previous weekend and pack those clothes away immediately. Since I am staying with family, I know I can do laundry once I get there. My car is packed the night before I leave. I admit, packing is my greatest stress, so being organized (I’m not an organized person) is a must! I just got new luggage that is really arthritis friendly, too.
6. Don’t push yourself. I love getting together with family and friends. Some understand my disease and the difficulties I have. Others do not. I can’t get an invite to go out at 9-10:00 pm anymore. Spontaneous “getting ready” is just work with my body some days. If people can’t give me a heads up, I can’t hang with them. I hope they don’t stop asking, but that is a risk I take. People who really care, will help me out with this.
7. Style. I dress in comfy shoes and clothes. This helps me when I go to parties or have an event where walking is involved. If I am comfy, I’m more likely able to hang around a while longer.
8. Alcohol. I love to enjoy a good beverage, but alcohol and my medication causes my head to burn up. Literally. I get flushed cheeks and almost immediately go into a hot flash. I have to limit myself to 1-2 drinks spaced out over a night. This keeps my hot-flash reaction in check. Often times, I drive so drinking won’t be an option.
10. Relax & Enjoy. Whether you have a week off or just a day. Stay in the moment. Don’t stress over what you have to do tomorrow. Enjoy time with family and friends. Celebrate what means the most to you. Life can be so short. Make as many moments count as you can.
These are strategies that work for me. They won’t work for everyone. I am single without kids, so some of these things may not apply to you. My Christmas traditions have had to change slightly over the years, but I’m okay with it. Life does change and my autoimmune arthritis can make things more difficult, but not all change has to be bad. A Spoonie Christmas can still be a Merry Christmas. Don’t ever forget that! 
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