Tips For Surviving The Holidays

The Holiday season is in full swing and that can mean a lot of stressors, both physical and emotional. In addition to all the stressors that come with colder weather many of us have to travel to be with family, which adds a whole different kind of stress. I wanted to share a few tips I’ve been told or figured out over the years to help you survive the holidays.

Try to keep your sleep schedule as close to normal as possible. One of the biggest things that throws me off is when my sleep schedule suddenly changes. This can be hard to stick to. Sometimes flights or long car rides simply don’t allow for normal sleep and wake times, sometimes the people we are with are on totally different schedules than us. Do the best you can and when you do get off your schedule try to use naps strategically to bridge the gaps.

Try to stick to whatever dietary practices work best for you. This is helpful whether you are traveling or not but it’s particularly challenging for those of us who have to travel. It turns out that when you have a restricted diet it can be very difficult to find quick food on the go that fits your diet. One option is to pack your own food. I find this helpful for snacks in particular. If possible, plan enough time to sit and eat a meal and do a bit of research ahead of time to find places where you can eat. I do well with Chipotle normally so now I know where all the Chipotles are on the 6 hour drive between my house and my parent’s (okay, I probably don’t know all of them but I know several conveniently placed ones).

Use all your strategies. For me this means wearing my compression gear and consciously maintaining my posture in the car or plane. Travel pillows can help with the posture, and I use the fact that compression gear is slightly uncomfortable to remind me about my posture as well.

Set alarms on your phone to remind you to take all of your medications at the right times. If you travel you are away from home and even if you don’t travel you will most likely be off your normal schedule. It’s easy to forget a dose of medication when your day looks nothing like a normal day. Set alarms on your phone to help you remember and don’t turn them off until you’ve taken the medication.

Stay as well hydrated as possible. This is really good advice for anytime but it can be particularly hard to keep up with when traveling. Stopping to use the bathroom slows you down on your travels, airplanes are notoriously dry, many holiday beverages either include caffeine or alcohol which can both be dehydrating. I’m not saying you shouldn’t indulge in some special beverages, just drink plenty of water to help your body cope with those things.

Bring supplies with you in case you need them. I know that carrying extra stuff around is annoying. It can be particularly hard when plane travel is involved. But it can help to bring things you need with you. I struggle with neck problems related to my hypermobility so I always bring my pillow with me. If you have a lot of allergies consider bringing your own bed sheets. Bring heat packs and back-up medications. Bring plenty of comfortable clothes for going out and for relaxing. Either bring, or ask your host to get a few key food items that are safe for you. An easy food for me is baked potatoes and it’s not at all unreasonable to ask my family to have some potatoes around in case I don’t feel well and need to eat more carefully than normal.

Decide which things are most important to you and bail on the other things if you need to. This one can be hard to do, especially if you are a people pleaser. You know your body and you know when you are pushing too hard. Listen to your body and rest when you need to. I know it’s hard to miss out on things which is why I suggest thinking about it ahead of time to decide which things you are the most excited about participating in and then prioritizing those things. Don’t give into the Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) and push yourself way beyond what you can handle. Not only will that mean you crash when you get home and have to take recovery time, but it might mean crashing before your trip is over and missing things that you really wanted to participate in. We don’t have the luxury of doing everything so practice prioritizing. It helps to let your family know about your limitations beforehand so they can manage their expectations for you and not make you feel bad about having to rest. Also bring some things to entertain yourself with while you are resting. Bring a computer to watch TV on or play video games, a good book, coloring supplies, or whatever else you like to do while resting.

Make lists for everything. I already have lists going of what things I need to bring with me at Christmas. Brain fog combined with the stress of an upcoming trip can make keeping everything straight impossible. Embrace the lists!

Lastly, and possibly most importantly, be kind to yourself. It’s tempting to think of your body as somehow being your enemy since it can’t always keep up with your peers. Your body is not your enemy and it is working really hard to help you be able to do the things you are doing. Don’t beat yourself up about the things you can’t do. For that matter, don’t let anyone else beat you up for the things you can’t do either. They aren’t the ones that have to live inside your body and they don’t understand what you are facing on the day to day so don’t let them guilt you into doing too much.