♪ The holiday season ♫

 

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! 

Kevin and I spent it with cousins who live near us and had a great, relaxing day. 

It occurred to me the other day that I am entering my first holiday season with POTS. Previously, I would shop till I drop before or after work (I worked on-call around the clock for years) and have a Christmas explosion in the house. This year, I'm doing things a little bit differently: 

• We waited until after Thanksgiving to take down our fall decor and put up the Christmas decor

I love fall and wanted to savor it for as long as possible, especially since the leaves here only just started changing color. I also wanted to take my time in packing it up, cleaning, and putting up the Christmas decor. I knew that I did not have it in me to do it all in one day. So on Black Friday, I packed up the fall decor and rested. On Saturday I cleaned the surfaces I was going to decorate and then put everything up, taking the entire day. Kevin helped me with the tree. At one point I was standing on a chair and fainted, which meant I was done for the day. I'm still achy from this! But I loved taking my time and savoring the experience.

• I'm picking and choosing what I spend on

This goes beyond money: it includes time, energy, finances, and "spoons." This year, with me not currently working, it is not in the budget for us to get gifts for everyone like we used to; we're just getting gifts for each other. We are choosing not to spend a lot of time and energy going to events when we are tired and instead focusing on rest. I'm learning to listen to my body and plan as best as I can so I can make it to the events and get-togethers that matter the most to me. 

• Remember the benefits of exercise

I do yoga every single day, no matter how I feel. I usually pair it with a meditation by Abide. Sometimes I only have the ability to do some deep breathing and floor work, other days I have enough energy for a full 60-minute practice. I also try to take a walk every day, but I do not do this if my POTS is bad or I am even a little bit dizzy (I don't want to faint in the street!). Exercise helps everyone in so many more ways than I can fit into this list. The reason I included it in this list is that with all of the food we're eating and the stress we often carry, exercise helps us to digest and process. Walks are my favorite way to deal with stress.

• Add some joy to each day

I am so severely limited this year that much of my joy has been condensed down to reading, writing, playing with my dog, and making. Every day I try to do something that gives me joy, even when I spend the whole day in bed. In this way, I have picked up pattern testing again, as well as writing letters. I also found all of my beloved Christmas books and I am so excited to read through them again. I read them every year and they fill me with joy and anticipation without fail.

• Connect with people you love

Because we are not going back to OR this Christmas, we have made a point of connecting with our loved ones in other ways. I have been writing Christmas cards, and we call all of our family regularly. In the end, I always feel so loved after talking with our families and we are so blessed in this way. I know that even though I can't send gifts this year, they love me and would arrive at a moment's notice should anything ever happen to me. I hope everyone has some like this in their life, even if they are not directly related. Connecting with old friends or nice neighbors adds so much beauty to the season.

In the end, this season is what you make of it. If you only have the energy to sit and watch Christmas movies, as I do some days, I hope that you still find joy and love in this season. 

And if you are lonely, please reach out--you'll find that many people are lonely this time of year and would love nothing more than to share it with you.

Blessings, 

Jessica