Christmas can be really hard when you have a chronic illness and there are lots of elements to it that make it a challenge. Getting cards written and sent out, gifts bought and wrapped, homes to decorate. Plus there’s events to go to that you need to have the energy for plus the pre-energy to get ready to go out: getting dress up, doing your hair and makeup and nail. It’s exhausting even before you get there! Then there’s the post event energy comedown crash giving you time to recover before the next event. On top of that you have your health to continue to deal with as well! It can often feel overwhelming and just exhausting to even think about.
As well because of your health you have to decline invites to events. This brings FOMO; not the ‘Fear’ but the ‘Feeling Of Missing Out’ because you actually are missing out and that can be really hard. I find it hard because I miss out on seeing family members I rarely see and I’d like to be able to see the but I know realistically my body can’t handle the event. The only event I do over Christmas and New Year is Christmas Day with close family. I just go to my Dad’s for a couple of hours to have Christmas Dinner and to exchange and open gifts from each other.
Christmas isn’t just hard on our physical health it can be difficult emotionally too. Like I said above missing out on events or feeling down because you’re in pain or an increase in anxiety or stress levels because it’s a change in your routine which can be hard for those with autism or difficult feelings around food if you have say an eating disorder or because this is your first Christmas in which you receive artificial nutrition, or you’ve had a deterioration in your health since last Christmas, you struggle with loneliness or a whole host of other things that can make Christmas a difficult time.
Ideas for a more chronic illness friendly Christmas:
- Get Christmas themed bedding. This will bring some festivity to your bedroom especially if you spend a lot of time in bed.
- If you spend a lot of time in bed think about decorating your bedroom for Christmas. This is something I’ve been thinking about how I can do this, like where can I put a mini tree that I can decorate (I love Sass & Belle’s tree decorations!) It’s something I need to figure out but something I’d like to do as I don’t often get to spend a great deal of time in my front room where my main tree is.
- Buy Christmas pyjamas - I got some lovely ones from Chelsea Peers.
- Christmas can be difficult emotionally for different reasons so so maybe plan some self-care activities over the holidays. If you find Christmas Day especially difficult plan some things for Christmas Eve evening: make a hot chocolate, watch your favourite film or TV show series and do your nails and put on a face mask.
- Remember that there are helplines that are open even at Christmas. - I’ll do a blog post on what helplines are open over the holidays.
- Remember to take time out to rest just as you would any time of the year.
- Instead of wrapping things you can put your gifts into gift bags instead to save you time and energy.
- You can get wrapping gadgets like paper roll slicers and on hand sellotape dispensers. I have both of these gadgets and they really do make wrapping much easier.
- Start Christmas shopping early. I even have a basket of gifts ready to give at any time. This saves me time and money as it means less Christmas shopping. Plus remember gifts are more about the thought than how much you spend on someone.
- I find making lists really helps both my anxiety and it helps me make a pacing plan. On my phone I made two lists one for cards another for gifts all multi colour coded and looked like organised chaos. I now have another tick box list that’s much more simplistic in my bullet journal with all the final tasks I need to do so I can now pace myself with that list between now and Christmas and it eases my anxiety seeing what I’ve achieved and what I still need to do.
- You don’t have to look red carpet ready when going to events; it’s more about being there than having fancy nails, glamorous makeup and fabulous hair. What matters most is you being there.
- Treat yourself to a really nice advent calendar. I’ve found this year getting myself an extra special advent calendar gives me something to look forward to each day and I’m loving a lot of the things I’m getting. I got myself a Birchbox advent calendar with luxury brand products in it totalling £460! The products make my skincare routine just that little bit more special and it’s enjoyable using new products. This also helps me engage in more self-care over the holidays too.
- Do Christmas crafts that you find you can do to get into the festive spirit. There are a lot of low-level activities¹ and activities you can do in bed² for example I got a reindeer punch needle kit that I know I in bed and I can do on/off for short periods at a time.
- * these are activities that I’ve classed as low-level, for some people they may be more medium-level
- ** these are activities that I’ve found I’m able to do in bed
- Listen to Christmas themed audiobooks. My annual go-to it ‘Twas the night shift before Christmas’ by Adam Kay which I always love listening to and it is so funny.
- Don’t feel bad for asking your care agency to come out to you over the holidays. You deserve the care just as much as anyone else.
- Plan days of rest, for example for myself Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and the days after that will all be rest days for me to enable me to go to my Dad’s to spend time with family on Christmas Day in the afternoon.
- You could decorate your mobility aids for Christmas like putting lights on your wheelchair wheels or tinsel around your guide cane.