“Reject the tyranny of picked. Pick yourself.” ― Seth Godin, Poke the Box
Because I’ve suffered a chronic illness called dystonia for many years, I’m all too familiar with how difficult the holidays can be for someone with a chronic condition. For that reason, I’m providing four tips for managing your health during the holiday season.
In case you didn’t know, FOMO means fear of missing out. We live in a highly distracted age. The Internet offers too much information, way too fast. Some of us are struggling, not only to keep up with that, but to keep going in spite of various health issues—ahem!
Here are five tips for you to keep you from being constantly pulled in different directions by social media and the onslaught of email coming to your inbox.
I took a poll on Twitter recently, in which I asked, “What’s the biggest concern in your life right now?” I was interested to see that with five hours left to go, I’d gotten 10 votes (which is hardly representative of the population at large, but even so) that showed a dead heat between time management, managing stress, and chronic health problems.
As one who suffers from chronic health problems, my general advice about managing stress and time is as follows:
The night before, take your calendar and simply pencil in what you’ll be doing and when. You may have to deviate from the schedule, but at least you’ll have a roadmap of sorts and a time limit on each activity.
By getting the tough things out of the way, you avoid putting them off and not getting them done. This also frees your mind from the worry of needing to do something inevitable, so you can concentrate on what you really like to do.
I read this on another blog and have never forgotten it. Everyone starts somewhere. It doesn’t matter where you are compared to others. What matters is that you have a goal and you take steps to achieve it.
As one who has ongoing health issues, I’ve learned firsthand the importance of simply stepping away from the computer and taking time for myself. I tried to take a nap during the day, when I can. Naps have been shown to increase productivity. I’m pretty sure they also help reduce stress.
Ask yourself, is the reason you’re feeling stressed and less productive because you’ve agreed to take on too much? Even the healthiest of us can’t do everything. Choose to do the things that will get you closer to your goal and learn to say no to the rest.
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On that note, I’d like to continue my survey. This one is only two questions and takes no time at all.
Just click the link below, please.
Thanks! 🙂
The holidays are a stressful time for most of us, anyway. But when you’re dealing with chronic health issues, normal levels of stress can spiral out of control quickly.
