Holiday Season Survival Guide for Carepartners
Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or another holiday, December and January can be some of the most stressful months of the year. As a carepartner/caregiver, you are likely taking on the majority of household chores and care activities. This workload multiplies over the holidays, with numerous social obligations, activities, holiday shopping and group meals. To help prepare you for this busy time, we have developed a holiday survival guide, including tips to help you have a safe, fun and restful end-of-year experience as well as gift ideas.
Make a Holiday To-do List or Calendar
It may seem time consuming, but creating a holiday to-do list and/or social calendar is crucial to helping you organize your time, thoughts and activities. Once you’ve had the chance to consider your schedule, ask yourself honestly if your current commitments are manageable. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it is worth having conversations about what you could scale back on this year, or asking family and/or friends to assist with some tasks. If you require help with home-related tasks such as cleaning, consider hiring a home cleaning service, even if temporarily over the holidays.
Keep Gifts Simple and Practical
As a carepartner/caregiver, you’re probably used to putting others first and this might extend into your giftgiving habits. This year, you might want to re-evaluate who you’re giving gifts to as well as the type of gift you’re giving. Do you need to give gifts to everyone on your list? Could your gift giving be made simpler?
You may also want to look into online shopping through websites such as Amazon.ca, which often have lower markups than your local store and may even ship to your home for free. Ordering online could save you time, money and the stress of battling large crowds during the holiday season.
Be Flexible and Forgiving
Parkinson’s symptoms change over time, and this can translate to differing demands on your time and attention. Particularly during the holiday season, it is important to lend yourself flexibility and forgiveness. You do not need to do the exact same activities, in the exact same way, year over year. Consider adapting your plans or eliminating some altogether if they become too stressful for you, your loved one or your family. This flexibility can even translate to the language you choose to use. For example, saying “I would like to go enjoy this Christmas concert” rather than “I need to go enjoy this Christmas concert” allows you to soften your expectations of yourself and others.
Eat (Healthy), Exercise, Sleep and Repeat
‘Tis the season for cold weather, indulgent foods and hectic schedules. While it may be challenging, this is the most important time of year to continue exercising, eat a wellbalanced diet and ensure adequate rest. You must care for yourself before you’re able to care for others, or you will experience burnout.
When it comes to sleep, this is the time of year when you may need more rest to keep up with your demanding schedule. To help ensure that you can get to sleep easily, it is recommended that you avoid using your phone, laptop and television before bed. Alcohol disrupts sleep cycles, so try to drink in moderation, or allow yourself lots of recovery time the following day. If you must nap, try to limit it to 30 minutes, and avoid naps after 3pm (Elkus, 2017). Even if sleeping more isn’t possible, don’t underestimate the power of downtime! Taking some time to read, listen to music or do something that requires low amounts of mental and physical energy can also help you recharge.
Sources
Elkus, Grace. (2017). How to Actually Get Some Sleep During the Holidays. Real Simple. Retrieved from www.realsimple.com/health/preventative-health/sleep/sleep-advice-holidays
This content was published in the Winter 2017 edition of our quarterly magazine, Viewpoints. The content was accurate as of this publication date.