Holiday Rush = Holiday Stress
Sometimes the best way to handle the holiday madness with all the extra pressure of shopping for gifts, getting together with friends and family, and your everyday obligations and errands; is to just take a break. We forget how to just take a breather and enjoy the season. Instead of trying to get everything done and becoming completely frazzled, take some time for yourself. Whether it's just to close your eyes and put your feet up, go for a walk, meet friends for lunch, date night with your spouse, or have a mani/pedi, etc.; you get the picture.
All of these seasonal demands on top of managing a chronic illness like lupus, can have disastrous consequences. Trying to do too much can physically wear you down and make you more susceptible to a flare-up of your symptoms. Not to mention, the more people/crowds you're around the more germs and contagions you're exposed to. Living with lupus means your immune system is compromised and the medications used to treat it, such as methotrexate, suppress the immune system even more. When I was working in an office environment and even investigating in the field, all it took was a co-worker coming in with a cold and by the next day I'd developed an upper respiratory infection. Which inevitably led to a lupus flare, back on a course of prednisone and out of work for weeks on end. Each time it happened took something out of me that I couldn't bounce back from and ultimately led to disability.
This month has been pretty chaotic for me with the launch of my new blog! I've been out of the work arena for a few years and learning a new skill has been both exciting and exhausting at the same time. Trying to manage the pain, fatigue and cognitive impairment issues has been a challenge; often spending more time than average to complete a task. Especially, trying to work around nap time! All the while, I've been going through physical therapy several times a week for the degenerative disc disease in my spine.
So, my point is that I'm going to take my own advice and just give myself a break!! I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season .... and Giggles and I are going to curl up on the couch with popcorn and a Christmas movie!!
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