Ending Holiday Stress
You might remember the day Santa Claus brought you your
first bicycle. It had green handlebars and seemed to shine
under the Christmas tree lights.
It was hard to believe that the present of your dreams had
actually arrived.
You knew you’d always remember it as the best Christmas
ever.
Fast forward a few years. It’s Christmas week, and you’re a
basket case. You don’t think you’ll ever be able to finish
all the shopping, the wrapping, and the decorating in time
for the big day.
You also have visits to make, cards to send, and donations
to mail out. You are dealing with full fledged Christmas
stress, and it shows no signs of abating.
The stress of the holiday season can be trying in the best
of circumstances.
But if you’re dealing with other major stressors, such as
the recent death of a loved one, holiday stress can seem
unbearable. You might be so tense that you cannot enjoy any
holiday-related activities.
You might snap at your children or your spouse, and you
might find yourself unable to focus at work.
There are many causes of holiday stress. To begin with, you
might be striving to fulfill unrealistic expectations.
You might have a perfect postcard view of the holidays a
vision that no human being could expect to realize. Your
impressions of holidays might have been formed by the
movies, where families gather around a tree and sing
Christmas carols in perfect harmony.
Another common cause of holiday stress is having too many
people on your Christmas list. You might expect yourself to
buy for not only members of your immediate family, but also
for teachers, friends, distant relatives, and co-workers.
You don’t want to leave anyone out, so you create a list
that even Santa Claus would find difficult to fill.
You might also be suffering from the stressed out host
syndrome. You might have been elected to hold Christmas
festivities at your house, and you’re panicked.
You’re striving to decorate the house, trim the tree,
grocery shop, bake cookies, and prepare fudge. You don’t
know when you’ll have time to string the lights in front of
your house, or to mount the Christmas cards on the
fireplace.
Family members might be contributing to your stress. Your
children might be demanding the latest video games, even
though you’re budget will never accommodate them.
Your mate might be demanding that you increase your share
of the holiday chores. Your parents might be demanding to
stay a week or more at your house, creating further tension
for your household.
The fact is, you can enjoy the holidays while reducing your
stress level considerably. This begins with engaging in
some pre-holiday planning.
Write a list of your goals for the holidays. What do you
really want to accomplish this year? What can you
realistically do on your own, and what will you need help
with? Putting your aims in writing can help to give you
some peace of mind.
It’s also important that you set your own agenda for the
holidays. Don’t let other people dictate the agenda for
you. In this way, you can ensure that your needs are met,
before you attempt to fulfill the needs of others.
Chances are, your goals are not to buy presents for
everyone you’ve ever met or to get out every decoration
you’ve ever owned. Rather, your goal is probably to have a
safe, festive holiday where you, your family and friends
can enjoy the festivities.
Realizing what your true goal is, and mapping out a way to
get there, can help to reduce your stress.
There is no denying that holidays make additional demands
on your time. However, through appropriate time-management
techniques, you can work to ensure that you are not
overwhelmed by responsibilities.
If you have a difficult task to face, consider enlisting
the aid of family and friends. Sharing the load can reduce
your stress level remarkably.
Also, you have to strike the idea that you must have the
perfect holiday. Instead, strive to create a holiday that’s
good enough good enough to make you smile good enough to
bring joy to your loved ones.
Also, spend at least part of your holiday preparations
doing some good for someone in need. You’ll find the
experience rewarding and it should help you to better cope
with holiday demands.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia Treatment Understanding Your Condition
Before you can understand the treatments used for fibromyalgia you must have an understanding of the disease. Fibromyalgia is a disease that is not well known throughout the medical profession.
It is linked to arthritis but the symptoms are different. Unlike arthritis which affects the body’s joints this disease affects the muscles. Parts of the body can become tender and sore to the touch due to the muscles in these areas not receiving enough oxygen.
The symptoms are different for each individual and can seem to disappear completely only to return at a later date. Many times the symptoms will be worse at certain times of the day like in the mornings and during the late afternoon.
The weather conditions can also increase your symptoms; damp rainy weather or extreme cold can increase the pain a person feels. The amount of stress that you deal with contributes to the symptoms along with the amount of physical activity you encounter.
Fibromyalgia Symptoms
There are a lot of symptoms that are associated with fibromyalgia which is the main reason it so difficult to diagnose. Below is a list of a few of these symptoms.
* Muscle pain, spasms or leg cramps
* Insomnia or waking up still feeling tired
* Always feeling tired and having little energy
* Being sensitive to one or more of the following, light, sound, noise, odors, foods, cold and medicines
* Dizziness
* Headaches
* Upset stomach
* A feeling of anxiety or depression
Treatments
Finding a treatment that works for a person suffering with fibromyalgia may be rather difficult. Everyone is affected differently and what works for one person may not benefit another at all.
In looking for a treatment you want to find something that will help to reduce the pain making it easier to function.
You also need a treatment that will help to decrease the feeling of fatigue and one that will help increase your sleep. Some of the treatments used are listed below.
* Medications
* Exercise
* Diet
* Rehabilitation
If you suffer from fibro the best way to treat this condition is by setting up a program that allows you to get enough rest, avoid as much stress as possible and eat right.
Understanding your condition and having a set program as part of your fibromyalgia treatment will help you deal with this disease easier.
Fibromyalgia Treatment Tips For Around The House
When you suffer from fibromyalgia, even the slightest relief is a miracle to the suferer. Anything at all that can aid your fibromyalgia treatment or reduce your symptoms or pain is very helpful.
In addition to the fibromyalgia treatment your doctor has set you up for, there are additional steps that you can take even on small things around your home that will help you to feel better
Listed below are some of the tips and techniques that I tried that helped me to recover from chronic fibromyalgia pain.
* Since one common area of pain for fibromyalgia sufferers is the hands, many of these tips relate to easing the tension on the hands.
* Buy easy to prepare foods. It’s often hard – or even impossible- to cook when you suffer from fibromyalgia but eating out all the time is unhealthy and can become expensive. You can buy more “ready-made” meals, pre-cut vegetables, etc to make cooking and preparing meals at home easier for you.
* Use very sharp knives. When you must cook or use scissors, make sure they are very sharp so you use less pressure to make the cut and apply less tension to your hands.
* Use a paper shredder. If you find yourself needing to cut or tear a lot of papers, you will want to use a paper shredder instead. For many fibromyalgia sufferers, even tearing up a receipt can cause pain.
* Avoid excess strain on your hands. It may be hard for you to do things such as sewing, knitting, long periods of typing, etc. If you must do these things, you should try to limit the amount of time you spend on it at once.
* Get ergonomical. Try to keep things such as your office and workplace as ergonomically correct as possible.
* Adjust your home. There are some changes you might want to make around your home and office to help your daily functions be more comfortable. For example, you should angle your computer monitor to eye level. Try different chairs, pillow, etc to make yourself more comfortable and ease pain later.
Making small changes such as these around your home can improve the way you feel and help aid other stages in your fibromyalgia treatment.
Before you can understand the treatments used for fibromyalgia you must have an understanding of the disease. Fibromyalgia is a disease that is not well known throughout the medical profession.
It is linked to arthritis but the symptoms are different. Unlike arthritis which affects the body’s joints this disease affects the muscles. Parts of the body can become tender and sore to the touch due to the muscles in these areas not receiving enough oxygen.
The symptoms are different for each individual and can seem to disappear completely only to return at a later date. Many times the symptoms will be worse at certain times of the day like in the mornings and during the late afternoon.
The weather conditions can also increase your symptoms; damp rainy weather or extreme cold can increase the pain a person feels. The amount of stress that you deal with contributes to the symptoms along with the amount of physical activity you encounter.
Fibromyalgia Symptoms
There are a lot of symptoms that are associated with fibromyalgia which is the main reason it so difficult to diagnose. Below is a list of a few of these symptoms.
* Muscle pain, spasms or leg cramps
* Insomnia or waking up still feeling tired
* Always feeling tired and having little energy
* Being sensitive to one or more of the following, light, sound, noise, odors, foods, cold and medicines
* Dizziness
* Headaches
* Upset stomach
* A feeling of anxiety or depression
Treatments
Finding a treatment that works for a person suffering with fibromyalgia may be rather difficult. Everyone is affected differently and what works for one person may not benefit another at all.
In looking for a treatment you want to find something that will help to reduce the pain making it easier to function.
You also need a treatment that will help to decrease the feeling of fatigue and one that will help increase your sleep. Some of the treatments used are listed below.
* Medications
* Exercise
* Diet
* Rehabilitation
If you suffer from fibro the best way to treat this condition is by setting up a program that allows you to get enough rest, avoid as much stress as possible and eat right.
Understanding your condition and having a set program as part of your fibromyalgia treatment will help you deal with this disease easier.
Fibromyalgia Treatment Tips For Around The House
When you suffer from fibromyalgia, even the slightest relief is a miracle to the suferer. Anything at all that can aid your fibromyalgia treatment or reduce your symptoms or pain is very helpful.
In addition to the fibromyalgia treatment your doctor has set you up for, there are additional steps that you can take even on small things around your home that will help you to feel better
Listed below are some of the tips and techniques that I tried that helped me to recover from chronic fibromyalgia pain.
* Since one common area of pain for fibromyalgia sufferers is the hands, many of these tips relate to easing the tension on the hands.
* Buy easy to prepare foods. It’s often hard – or even impossible- to cook when you suffer from fibromyalgia but eating out all the time is unhealthy and can become expensive. You can buy more “ready-made” meals, pre-cut vegetables, etc to make cooking and preparing meals at home easier for you.
* Use very sharp knives. When you must cook or use scissors, make sure they are very sharp so you use less pressure to make the cut and apply less tension to your hands.
* Use a paper shredder. If you find yourself needing to cut or tear a lot of papers, you will want to use a paper shredder instead. For many fibromyalgia sufferers, even tearing up a receipt can cause pain.
* Avoid excess strain on your hands. It may be hard for you to do things such as sewing, knitting, long periods of typing, etc. If you must do these things, you should try to limit the amount of time you spend on it at once.
* Get ergonomical. Try to keep things such as your office and workplace as ergonomically correct as possible.
* Adjust your home. There are some changes you might want to make around your home and office to help your daily functions be more comfortable. For example, you should angle your computer monitor to eye level. Try different chairs, pillow, etc to make yourself more comfortable and ease pain later.
Making small changes such as these around your home can improve the way you feel and help aid other stages in your fibromyalgia treatment.
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