#ChronicChristmas Day 11: Keep It Reasonable
This season is all about going all out. And it’s too much for everyone. So pace yourself — not just with eating or traditions, but with the multitude of celebrations. If you go to all the holiday parties, neighbourhood drop-ins, get-togethers for drinks, office parties, and so on, it’s a virtual guarantee that you will…
#ChronicChristmas Day 10: Embrace Your Inner Dane
Embrace what?? Hygge is a Danish term that’s hard to explain exactly. Cozy gets part of the way there, but is also about intimacy, trust, love, being comfortable with where you are and who you’re with. It often involves good food, sitting together and having wonderful, supportive conversations, and there is almost always candlelight. It’s…
#ChronicChristmas Day 9: Build a Snowman
No need to get all label-y. Snow Person. Or, a unicorn, an icy sand castle, or an igloo. The point is to regress to your childhood. To a snowy afternoon, when your mom bundled you up, and told you to go out and play. To remember standing with your head thrown back and your tongue…
#ChronicChristmas Day 8: Say Hello
Let’s do an experiment today. Instead of being glued to your phone, book, or block out the world by popping in the earbuds and listening to music, leave it all in your pocket or bag, and look up. Look at the scenery as you drive by. I should clarify that if you are actually at…
#ChronicChristmas Day 7: Use Reindeer (or Technology) for Cards
Signing piles of Christmas cards is enough to give anyone a cramp, but when you have chronic pain, this part of the holiday preparations can lead to flares, and a strong desire to create ice pack mittens for your aching hands. So don’t. The Internet is a wonderful thing, making so much of our lives…
#ChronicChristmas 6: Throw Money at the Problem
Have the holidays become a problem instead of a celebration to you? That’s a sure sign that you need a holiday intervention. Okay, so is not a full-fledged intervention, but one in which you grab yourself by the scruff of your neck (metaphorically, if not literally), give yourself a shake, and… Throw money at the…
#ChronicChristmas #5: Focus on the Few
There is no such thing as less is more during the holiday season. Instead, we all embrace my dad’s favourite homemade saying: “more is better.” It can all be a little overwhelming, especially when your body is resisting all attempts to be festive. So why not redefine what’s festive to you? Instead of more, go…
#ChronicChristmas #4: Take a Walk
Is it cold out? Is it raining? Better yet, is it snowing? Take a walk, bring an umbrella if there is wet stuff coming from above. Moving get you out of your head and into your body, and that’s a good thing when you have a chronic illness. It helps you connect the two and…
#ChronicChristmas #3: Decorate 5 minutes everyday
When I look at the beautifully decorated homes and magazines, on my friends’ blogs, and in the movies, I wish I had the energy to do more so my home could evoke that sense of Christmas hygge. (Hygge: a Danish term conveying coziness, love, togetherness) I also wish for a cat that didn’t have an…
#ChronicChristmas #2: Pace Yourself when Eating
Pace yourself with the goodies. This is the season of chocolate, cookies, other baked goods, fudge, fruitcake (much-maligned, undeservedly), more chocolate, and let’s have a little drinkie-poo while we’re at it, shall we? There’s nothing wrong with indulging — after all, there are lots of really yummy treats around this month and it would be…
The Problem with Selfies when You Have RA
HealthCentral boss-person: “we want to do a cool project with selfies and quotes from people with chronic illness . Can you do one?” Me: “of course!” Yeah, well. That turned out to be little more complicated than I thought. My RA got in the way. It’s like this. You know that effortless move you make…
#ChronicChristmas #1: Shop Online
Do your gift shopping online. Cyber Monday may have been yesterday, but I bet there are still deals to be had. One of the best part of doing your shopping on the Internet is that poking about you normally do anyway is now with a purpose. You’re not procrastinating at all! Online shopping is God’s…