Managing chronic pain on a normal day can often be challenging enough, so how do we cope when it comes to special occasions like Christmas? We can’t wave a magic wand to make our pain go away for a few days, and your typical way of coping probably isn’t going to work either, so we have to make a new management plan that suits days like these. No one wants to miss out on special moments with family and friends, hearing laughter from another room whilst you’re resting can be difficult, so here’s how I’ll be managing my pain during the festive season.
A good place to start is making a list of everything that matters most to you over Christmas and New Year. Whether it’s your family tradition of making gingerbread houses on Christmas Eve, a film you all watch together, or a drive to see all the Christmas lights, decide what you don’t want to compromise on. From there you can start to plan when you want to take a break or rest. I think it’s important to be kind to yourself too, it’s all too easy to beat yourself up for needing to take an hour to rest in the middle of Christmas Day, but if it means you’ll be at your best when it really matters, then it’s the right thing you can do.
If you have a flare up plan then check that you have everything that you need, things like hot water bottles or extra medication, all of these things can be used during busy times in your life in the same way. Don’t wait for a flare up to happen, make sure you have every tool at your disposal to keep things manageable. I used to think that a flare up was inevitable at times like Christmas, but since integrating pacing into my life and building up a “tool box” of the things that help me, things are very different. If I rest when I need to, then I don’t miss out on any of the moments that mean the most to me, and I don’t pay for it as much the next day either.
Whilst you have your list of things you won’t compromise on, it’s equally as important to learn when to say no too. Throwing yourself into every social occasion or Christmas activity could leave you struggling to take part in the moments that truly matter to you. I think everyone in life, whether you live with chronic pain or not, could do with learning to say no more. If you really want to take part in something then go, but if you find yourself saying yes because you think it’s the right thing to do, or it’ll make someone else feel happy, then maybe think again about whether it’s truly what you want.
Finally, try and keep a bit of normality where you can. It’s all too easy to fall into bad habits over Christmas, every day seems to merge into one until it’s suddenly 1st January. Keeping normality where you can will make your pain and fatigue far easier to manage, and will avoid you getting into a “boom and bust” circle.
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!
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