Dealing With Holiday Stress

UPDATE: I heard from Peter yesterday. He is our friend with Myasthenia Gravis who has been diagnosed with COVID. He wanted to thank everyone for keeping him in your thoughts and prayers. He says he’s doing fairly well and hopes to get over this soon.

I also want to thank everyone who prayed for Peter. That’s what we do: we care about others. Please continue to keep him in your prayers until he’s completely over COVID. In the meantime, make sure you’re taking good care of yourself. Colds, flu, COVID, RSV and pneumonia can all turn into major complications for those of us with MG.

Also, if you’re struggling in any way, please know you are not alone. Reach out to me through a comment and I’ll let others know you could use their prayers. We’re not in this alone.

Now, onto something a little more fun. My two youngest grandkids decorated their rooms for Christmas this last weekend. It’s a little bit early, but they have so many decorations to put up in their house, their Mom made a wise choice by having them start on their rooms early. They were both so excited and so proud once their rooms were finished. My grandson is five and took charge of how his room should look. He did an excellent job. My granddaughter is three and she focused most of her attention decorating her pink tree. Oh, this Christmas is going to be fun!

The holiday season can be a very stressful time of year. There’s so much to do, so many decorations to hang, so many gifts to buy. I get it. I stress out, too, during the holiday season, but I’m getting better at it. This year I’ve told myself that I’m not going to get stressed like in years past. What gets done, gets done. What doesn’t, doesn’t. I’m just going to go with the flow and do what I can.

The other thing I pledge to do differently this year is to appreciate more. In the past, I’ve often gotten so caught up in the “doing” that I forget the “enjoying”. Remember the times you’ve toiled to put up your tree and then stood back and really admired it? That’s how you’re supposed to enjoy Christmas. I know there are those who stand back, look at their tree and try to find all the imperfections, like an ornament hung in the wrong place or garland that isn’t perfectly hung. They hurry to fix it as if anyone else is really going to see it, or for that matter, care. That causes stress. This year, stand back, take a deep breath and appreciate how beautiful your tree really looks. I’m guessing there will be a lot of memories in your tree. Let those memories fill you with joy. Let the magic of the season come alive.

Stress can really wear on a person, especially if they have Myasthenia Gravis. Find the stress-relieving technique that works best for you and then use it when you feel yourself getting stressed. I’ve told you about the 5-4-3-2-1 technique I use when I’m starting to feel anxious. It also works for stress. Just look around you and find 5 things that have nothing to do with what’s stressing you, then 4 things, then 3 things and so on. That breaks up your thought patterns and allows your mind to reset. I see five cars. I see four kids. I see three birds. I see two dogs. I see one Christmas Tree. Try it. It works.

Another helpful hint during this holiday season is make sure you’re taking time for yourself. We tell ourselves we have so many things to do that we can’t possibly take time to rest, but rest is very important. How are you going to get anything done lying in a hospital bed? Taking care of yourself is so much more important than that perfectly hung garland. It’s not selfish to put yourself first as long as you’re doing it for all the right reasons.

I used to think I didn’t have time to take care of myself because I was too busy trying to take care of everyone else. Then I realized I’d be unable to take care of anyone else if I didn’t take care of myself.

Let’s really enjoy Christmas this year. Take the time to reflect on all the warm memories you have of Christmas past. Take the time to take in all of Christmas present. Dream of Christmases yet to come.

Do you have a favorite Christmas memory or tradition? If so, share it with me in a comment and I’ll share it with all my readers. Christmas is to be enjoyed and there’s no better way to enjoy it than remembering what means the most to you.