Chronic disease — defined as illnesses lasting more than three months, being persistent or recurrent, having a significant health impact, and typically being incurable. So, with holidays like Christmas and Hanukkah at hand, there is always a temptation to abandon healthful living routines. Eating too much, not getting enough exercise, staying up late, worrying about family members getting along — all these things can make you feel worse.
Patients with diabetes, heart conditions, or epilepsy, for example, must take care of yourself or the disease gets worse. With autoimmune diseases, such as MS, fibromyalgia, or lupus, your symptoms will get worse but not the disease itself.
Holidays bring out all the physical and social concerns around chronic diseases. The demands and expectations around holidays can “out” people whose conditions were hardly noticeable. During the year, they spend so much of their energy working and handling the daily chores of living that they have little time left for socializing. Come the holidays, they’re expected to show up and contribute.
Many chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, depression, arthritis, fibromyalgia, etc., are not noticeable. “People go to work or volunteer or shuttle kids to school. Most of the time, they don’t look sick. When illness flares up, their pain is invisible. Or they have bone-numbing fatigue, so bad that they can’t take a shower and go to the store in the same day. There’s a cultural misperception that says you’re not sick unless you look sick. They need to make their illness visible by talking about it.”
An article in Arthritis Today offers three tips for managing holiday stress:
Daily rest and relaxation. Don’t get stuck in a never-ending to-do list. Do a crossword puzzle or take a walk or a nap. The mental and physical break will rejuvenate you.
Prioritize. Decide how much shopping, cooking, or partying you can do and stick to it. Ask for help.
Volunteer. Take toys to the Marine Toys-for-Tots Foundation, take food to homebound seniors through Meals on Wheels, or provide goods and services for Hurricane victims. It will boost your spirit and remind you what the holidays are about.
The holidays can be hard on everyone but more so to patients with chronic diseases. Family members and in general people need to be more accommodating to those who have chronic illnesses.
