By this i want to wish everyone a merry christmas! I will pray for everyone that is struggeling.
Christmas is supposed to be a joyfull time where families meet together and feast with their hearts and warmth. But iknow that some off us and many off us is going trough tough times, including myself. Im forced to celebrate by myself this year, because off pain and social burn out from ES.
For those who is in the same situation and being forced to celebrate alone or is limitied to celebrate with family and friends, i feel with you and i will say this that there is a time for everything. Focus on yourself, and accept that you have to rest.
I find it helpfull to remind myself when im social burned out, that you don’t have to push yourself for others.
And if you are able to do something for yourself, that cheers you up and create a little christmas spirit then do it !
Im going to rest, watch a movie and cook a nice meal and open up some christmas gifts by myself that will create a little bit off christmas spirit for me.
Thank you for this very uplifting and thoughtful post, @Henrik! I hope the time you have to yourself is refreshing & restorative. May you feel peaceful & joyful because you’re taking care of you. That is a gift to yourself. Merry Christmas to you.
That is what is going on in our world too. You just have to focus on yourself and do what is best for you. Keeping your stress level down is important and it sounds like you have figured out some quiet time helps. That is very admirable. Best wishes to you.
Thanks for writing this @Henrik. Best wishes for the new year ahead. For me I am reaching my first anniversary of suspected ES symptoms, (though I’m sure I’ve had 5 y of intermittent symptoms) but finding a way to enjoy this time regardless.
Lovely post and sentiment. I too will be thinking of all of my peers who are going through this and other hardships that make celebrating more difficult. I lay on the ground in the park with my dog yesterday for quite some time just breathing in the fresh air, listening to birds and feeling a beautiful sense of calm. Today we go to my brothers for celebrations and I will love spending time with everyone but it will be painful. I will prioritize my enjoyment of being with people I care for and do my best to push pain and fatigue symptoms to the back. Lucky for me I do get a lot of adrenaline in these situations that help me through.
For those who are physically alone. You are not. Thanks to this wonderful community none of us is alone.
Wishing you a peaceful and painless day @Henrik , good you know what you need to take care of yourself and can find some enjoyment in that day even if it’s not the best of Christmases…God bless
Merry Christmas, @Henrik! This is the first year ever that I did not put up a Christmas tree. Those who know me know how much I love decorating for the holiday. Right up until last night I kept telling myself that I was going to make a Christmas tree miraculously appear in my living room. That didn’t happen and neither did midnight mass nor the traditional Christmas dinner that I’ve cooked for the last 25 years. It made me reflect more on the true meaning of Christmas and celebrating the birth of Jesus. Hopefully next year, those of us who have had to modify our holiday traditions will be able to celebrate without limitation due to pain, exhaustion, or loneliness.
@CoHDa - I love what you wrote about Christmas & the absence of all the usual “frills” giving you time to reflect more on the true meaning of Christmas. I bought a book years ago called Unplug the Christmas Machine by Jo Robinson & Jean C Staeheli. It talks about the history of gift giving at Christmas (it used to be small, simple gifts) & how commercialization has made Christmas into the incredible materialistic holiday it has now become. It offers suggestions about how to cut back (without guilt!) & once again make Christmas about celebrating Christ’s birth & family - not about the gifts. We also had a simple Christmas this year. I loved having time to spend w/ my immediate family just being together.
Have you made any progress toward finding a surgeon who can help you? I know you were exploring doctors who we don’t yet have on our list. If you find a good one or ones, please let us know. We would love to expand our “offerings” for our members who have VES. I will continue to pray for you to get the help you need, ASAP!
Thanks you all! I got a very nice christmas present from my wife. I got a ready to go fly fishing rod.
That cheered me up quit a bit !
I have always wanted to try fly fishing, and just by having it unboxed and on “display” in the apartment now, it gives me hope for the coming year and how much memories that will give me in the near future. It gives a sign off hope that i will keep fighting trough the pain and struggles, so i can be ready to learn and to head out to the lake and enjoy the most wonderfull thing God created, nature !
I will put that book in the list off books i want to read, if it’s possible to buy it now.
For me christmas has always been about the awesome food, and about my mother and father.when you can smell the food almost outside the house, that’s when i get the so called christmas spirit.
At christmas time, is for me also about reflecting about how lucky we are to be born where we live in freedom. Wich also gives you time to reflect about those who is not living or are not born in to freedom, specially the past years with conflicts in almost every corner across the globe.
Yes it is sad to see the development off how greedy or how we have pushed ourself to a materialistic world. But on the good side, you know at least where you stand with your moral belives in this crazy world.
As an Liverpool Fc supporter i will never forget to remind myself of the beautifull words in their slogan,
“You’ll Never Walk Alone!”.
And that is why i love that club, and their spirit. Specially their fighting spirit in the thoughest games. Specially when all hope is lost, they keep on going and eventually suceed!
