Hollerday Stress Busters

Yes, I call this time of year the Hollerday Season.  That vicious circle of stress = pain = more stress = more pain = … you get the picture, anyway, for years I would end this season curled up in a blob, in my bed, hollering at the top of my lungs for the pain to stop.  No more!!  I have a game plan!!  (heh heh)

Stress is one of an RSDers key triggers to a flare and trying to keep up with the hustle and bustle of the Hollerday season adds a certain little tiny extra punch to the burning, stabbing, sparking, sweating, and  swelling that we’ve already got going on.  I have devised a plan to avoid as much Hollerday stress as possible.  It’s been years in the making and I’m actually kinda excited to put the whole thing into action this year … and find out what I’m gonna hafta add to it for next year.  It’s an ever-morphing process.

1) Repeat these syllables … Let.  It.  Go.  As we get older, everybody seems to vie for control of the family during the Hollerdays.  Despite our best made me-do, honey-do and deary-do lists, so as not to forget a detail, we get so distracted by desperately trying to make everything perfect, that we neglect our bodies.  (Dammit, I forgot to schedule that friggin flare!!  It’s not on my list, therefore it cannot happen … Let.  It.  Gooooooo.)  Ever heard the saying, “too many chiefs and not enough Indians”??  Yeah, that is most families that I know, and mine is no different.  As the single, crippled, childless member of my family, I have made a conscious decision to be an Indian again this year.  I am not giving up on the things I want to do with my family, but I am picking my battles and rolling with the punches.  My family knows my limitations and if it is not within my repertoire to do or fix, then someone else knows that they need to do it, or that we need to just accept it.  And then there’s … What??  You burned the turkey?? <deep breath … in through the nose, out through the mouth>  Let.  It.  Goooooo.  You can’t fix it now, can you??  Take pictures of it, dress it up in your uncle’s hat and scarf and roast your uncle (you could start by saying how fowl he is … and go from there), hit up the Mc Donald’s drive thru and have a picnic on the dining room floor next to your perfectly set table.  No one will ever forget moments like that, might as well make the memories fun.

2)  Look for the Little smiles … Have you ever looked at a child’s face when they experience the wonder of candles and food??  There is nothing quite like those Little smiles to erase woeful moments.  Waiting in line at the grocery store behind a mom with a full cart, a pocket full of coupons and two small children??  Look at those young faces.  Remember, if you can, what it was like to be a child at this time of year.  Remember all of the raised eyebrows and wide eyed moments as you discovered something “Hollerday-ish” for the first time.  Keep fond memories close, daydream a little and before you know it, the cashier will say, “How are you today, ma’am?”  (ugh … ok Jennifer Lynn … Let.  It.  Gooooooo.)

3) Pre-medicate … There is no such thing as “just a cold” to an RSDer.  Our immune systems are already compromised with fighting the daily pain.  I know that with me, a cold becomes bronchitis in less than 2 days and if not managed immediately (which is not always possible), it becomes pneumonia.  I have worked with my GP so that I always have up to date antibiotics, cough pearls and inhalers in my medicine cabinet along with Vitamin C and Echinacea.  2 days before I know I will be seeing my niece and nephew, I start on the antibiotics, vitamins and inhalers.  Young children are notorious for sharing germs … and I want all of the germs that those 2 munchkins have to offer, but I don’t want to get sick.  Practice prevention, talk to your doc, and pre-medicate.  It’s SO much cheaper … and less time consuming in the end!

4)  This year I will not be participating in Black Friday.  There are a few reasons for this.  First and foremost is that I’m not up to playing the role of human pinball only to have to stand in line, on my stabbing, swelling feet, for an hour just so I can save $5.  Second is that I will be in a car traveling home from Kansas City.  And C, I really don’t wanna be a human pinball.  I don’t have the body mass to compete with any of these people (unless they‘re a malnourished 10 year old).  I choose to save my body for the Hollerdays themselves.  Christmas parties, family gatherings, church services, meeting friends for warm drinks and football … Those are the battles I have picked for myself.  Instead, I will participate in Cyber Monday … where the only bruises are on my fingertips and credit card.

ENJOY YOUR HOLLERDAYS!!!