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The holidays is a great time of year to spend with your family baking cookies and making memories but it can be stressful. The prep to get ready for Christmas can be overwhelming because there is so much to do and often you may find yourself in busy stores just days before Christmas. Some people are not easy to shop for and sometimes you may struggle with finding gifts for them or not being able to get the things you want because it’s out of stock every time you look which adds even more stress. I enjoy spending time with my family during Christmas time because even though most of my family is local I still don’t get to see them that much. The holidays are stressful for anyone but as a disabled person, it can be even more stressful than it would be for abled people because I still have stoma problems to think about that most abled people don’t which tends to act up during stressful times of year. If you get more stressed during the Christmas season here are some ways I deal with stress so I can enjoy the holidays before it’s gone!
Get your shopping done early- Some people are very last minute when it comes to shopping and will not even think about what to get their friends and family until a week before Christmas. I will never do that because waiting until the last possible second to start your Christmas is more stressful and not a good idea. The first week of December I start to think about what I am going to get my friends and family because I don’t want to be one of those people who is running to stores and hoping that I find everything I need two days before Christmas. Get your shopping done early because the closer you get to Christmas the more crowded stores will and you also run the risk of not being able to find everything in time. I don’t always get my Christmas shopping done weeks in advance like I did this year but I do try because there is nothing I hate more than going to the store and navigating crowds during the holidays.
Do as much online shopping as possible- As a disabled person, I hate going to stores during busy times of year because people are so rude and stores tend to be even less accessible than they normally would be. I try to do most of my shopping online because there are less barriers and I don’t have to worry about losing my temper when a rude sales associate refuses to let me use the accessible register and makes my life as difficult as possible. There will be times when I do have to go to the store but I try and do as much at home as I can!
Continue to eat healthy throughout the holidays- The most common New Year’s Resolution is weight loss or fitness goals and the reason for that is people feel like they don’t have to eat healthy during the holidays. If you are baking cookies and eat five it’s not the end of the world because it happens but you shouldn’t be replacing your healthy meals with cookies. People sometimes have to make weight loss goals in January because they stopped eating healthy and working out but what a lot of people fail to understand is that if you continued to eat healthy and exercise during the holidays you wouldn’t need weight loss goals in January! Healthy exercise and healthy eating can help manage your stress because I don’t know about you but when I am not working out or eating healthy I feel terrible.
Make sure you are making time for yourself- During the holidays you are running around trying to get things done and sometimes people forget to take a minute to breathe and enjoy the season. Make sure you are giving yourself some downtime because although you may have a huge to-do list it’s so important that we take the time to check in without ourselves and work on self-care. The holidays will not be as enjoyable when you put extra pressure on yourself and stress about all the things that are not odone but needs to be.
The holiday season can be stressful for most of us, but it doesn’t have to be that time of year that you just get through. Holiday shopping can be stressful but it’s even more stressful when you do things last minute and don’t prepare. Shop early for your friends and family because the sooner you get your shopping done the less stressed you will be. If you are wrapping gifts for someone who lives with pain, skip all the fancy bows because people in pain will not appreciate as much but will be annoyed when you make opening presents more difficult, and it just causes more pain. Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates it and if you live with pain, I hope that the holidays are treating you well with less pain, but you have had some flares you are not alone because as much as we wish pain would take a vacation it doesn’t! How do you manage stress during the holidays and is your Christmas shopping done yet?
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