欢乐世界,holidays are almost here! It is the most wonderful time of the year, filled with togetherness, beautiful celebrations, twinkle lights, and lots of wonderful food. For the people responsible for pulling it all together, it is also the most stressful time of the year, which tends to spell doom when you live with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the effort to make magic for family and friends, you also create the perfect storm of ingredients for a massive post-holiday flare. Add a global pandemic to that and you might be wondering how on earth you’ll get through it all. Fear not, I’m here to help you get perspective and a plan.
获得透视往往始终从看一下导致您首先失去的东西，因此让我们审查庆祝ra的最大挑战。驱动力是图片完美假期的神话。这是一个令人钦佩的目标，但现实生活是不同的，混乱，而且它不可避免地妨碍。勇敢的假期导致制定装饰和活动的盛大计划，这是坦率地坦率地检查你的身体无法兑现。但是，不知何故，你一直试图单枪匹马造成这种假期，社交媒体影响者有一支大型球队，而你试图成为每个人的一切，并且可能优先考虑所有人 - 任何人的？ - 在你自己之上的情况提示疲劳和耀斑，你忽略了推动，从而保证上述崩溃，让您在沙发上持续时间，甚至几周。这绝不是一件好事，但在一年中的这个时候可以额外令人沮丧。
A gentle reminder: In the future, when your family remembers the holidays, what makes them magical is you being part of it, not that it was worthy of a slick magazine. In my bookChronic Christmas: Surviving the Holidays with a Chronic Illness，我分享了如何在假期创造实际魔法的提示，强调团结并重点关注真正重要的。这是我在一个美妙的假期的五大建议，也让您在大流行期间保持安全：
重新思考礼物。When so much about this year has been so hard, we might have the urge to spoil our loved ones a bit extra for Christmas. But speaking of not being able to cash a check, this may be the year that spending less is the more prudent plan. Instead, aim for homemade gifts (more special for not being perfect), a $10-$20 limit and instructions to get creative, or do a Secret Santa where everyone only gets a present for one person. And if you are at high-risk for COVID-19, stick to online shopping or tap your favorite local shop for curbside pick-up.
Focus in.In a season known for exuberance and more-is-better, focusing on what is truly special can help protect your energy and actually crank up the magic. Instead of wrecking yourself decorating the entire house in one afternoon, focus on one room, spending only five or 10 minutes a day and carefully choose the decorations that mean the most to you. Slowing down and taking the time to enjoy the memories of why a particular ornament or Santa figure is so special builds that holiday glow. Making it a family affair and including your kids in the selection, talking about family heirlooms or that garland they made when they were three years old might even create a valued future Christmas tradition.
Reach out.With COVID-19 numbers rising out of control, all signs point to a very quiet holiday season for all of us. It’s a sacrifice that we have to make to make sure that when we gather in the future, all our loved ones will be present. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t be together in other ways. Create some time most days to reach out to family, friends, neighbors, and even people you might not otherwise include on your holiday list. An e-card, phone call, or bringing back the early pandemic practice of Zoom cocktail hour, only with hot chocolate or mulled wine while dressed in Christmassy PJs (say), can help us all feel closer while staying apart.
庆祝灾难。Some of my most treasured memories include holiday disasters, such as the fully decorated tree that kept falling over and the oven that stopped working in the middle of making Christmas dinner. Things that work out seldom become part of family legend, but the disasters are the stories that get told and retold over the years with much laughter. So why not really lean into that this year, when nothing is as it used to be? Try a new dish for your special dinner, perhaps from another culture, splurge on an unusual tree, play games while dressed in ugly holiday sweaters, watch cult Christmas movies, and in general push yourself to get as non-traditional, even weird, as possible.
Embrace “hygge.”在我看来，神奇假期的关键是“卫生”的丹麦语实践。它涉及舒适，涉及一道，放松，通常是烛光，几个美味的零食（提示：从商店购买它们），没有压力。用我最喜欢的假期卡通的话来摇滚，圣诞节没有来自商店，我们都是追逐的那种喜悦。让这个假期特别是关于你所爱的人，照顾好自己和他人，以及一些安静的庆祝真正重要的事情。
Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday!