The holidays are a busy time. Families
and friends get together, good food is shared, gifts are exchanged.
There is shopping to be done, special meals to be planned, wrapping
presents, decorating the tree …
Just reading that list is exhausting.
The fact is that whenever there is an
expenditure of energy – and this goes for anyone – the inevitable
consequence is the post-event letdown. For people with CFS and ME,
who don't have the ability to recuperate easily, the result is a
crash – a period in which the exhaustion is total. All the other
symptoms you have may flare up as well, not just because you've been
expending energy, but because you may also be eating food you don't
normally eat and altering your sleeping patterns. People with CFS and
ME simply don't have the flexibility to handle changes. And Christmas
is a major change from daily routine.
There are several things you can do to
help mitigate the post-holiday crash.
First, if you've overdone it over the
holidays, and are now crashing, don't beat yourself up. Having an
illness that relegates you to living your life in a box is not only
restricting, it is stressful. If you do a little too much at
Christmas, it is simply because you are trying to join the human
race. There is nothing wrong with that. The ability to enjoy company,
to eat and drink and make merry, and to do simple, normal
things becomes all the more precious when it's been curtailed. So,
even if you do crash – it may have been worth it for the sake of
your overall wellbeing.
Second, you can take breaks. A number
of years ago, when I was spending the vast majority of my days in
bed, I had to attend a wedding. The reception was in a house, so I
simply found a couch and lay down. Eventually, someone wandered into
the room, noticed that I was lying down, and said, “That's a good
idea.” She lay down on the floor beside me, and we had a pleasant
conversation. Soon, several other people had joined her. There were
now five people lying next to one another on the floor, chatting.
Throughout the evening, people got up and left, and others took their
places. The lesson I learned was that I didn't have to (literally)
rise to the occasion. (And, it appears, other people were more than
happy to take a break as well.)
Third, plan to have one or more “down
days” (as many as you need). It's one thing to have a crash, it's
quite another to prepare for one. I have found that whenever I need to do something that requires more energy than I have, planning to
have sufficient rest time afterward makes it easier to get through
the event – and to recover from it. This may require a bit of
scheduling, but it will reduce your stress levels considerably.
Managing this illness is just as
important as treating it. The trick is to find a strategy that works
for you.
My best wishes for a happy and healthy
New Year!
Erica