Reflecting on 2020 and my Goals for 2021

It’s hard to know how to start this post after not updating my blog in so long, so I think I’ll just start by saying ‘hello’ again! Being quiet on here since July hasn’t been deliberate. I’ve desperately wanted to share posts and have a growing list of ideas of things I’d like to write about. I’ve just struggled to actually do it! A mixture of my health being decidedly rubbish since my major surgery in November 2019 and a global pandemic affecting both my physical and mental health haven’t made for a very productive Jenny. But one of my goals for 2021 (more on those later) is to really try and start getting some content out on here again, even if it’s just writing little bits here and there. So here I am with my first post of the year! And I thought a good place to start would be to just reflect a bit on the past year and then look forward to the year ahead.

 

Reflecting on 2020

 

Where do I even start with reflecting on the last year?! It’s certainly been a strange and scary one for most of us hasn’t it? I started 2020 having just had major leg surgery (a Femoral Osteotomy). I was spending the majority of my time sleeping, keeping dosed up on various painkillers and having regular physiotherapy. I saw 2020 as my year to recover – to gain strength, increase my mobility and to start doing some of the things I enjoy again as I started to get better. But I hadn’t planned for two things – one, that complications from surgery would make recovery increasingly difficult and two, that we would be plunged into a global pandemic. 

 

I always knew that the surgery came with risks (with added risks on top because of my Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome). But I think when you go in for any kind of surgery, you convince yourself that you will dodge these risks and that things will go smoothly – otherwise you wouldn’t go ahead with the surgery! And a lot of the time, things do go to plan. You have your surgery, it resolves the problem, you make a good recovery and generally your life is better for having that intervention. But occasionally, things aren’t quite so straightforward. And this seems to have been the case for me this time. 

 

The place where they broke my femur has actually been healing quite nicely (albeit rather slowly). But unfortunately, the surgery has affected my knee and nobody seems to know why. As the months have gone on, I’ve been struggling to bend my knee, have been getting a lot of pain and swelling in it and have been finding it hard to put much weight through my leg because of this. It’s been incredibly frustrating, especially as my mobility is now worse than it was before I had the surgery (which definitely wasn’t the plan – it was meant to try and improve it!) 

 

And unfortunately a global pandemic hasn’t helped matters, as it meant my physiotherapy had to stop and I struggled to get appointments with my surgeon. When I did eventually manage to see my surgeon in person, he let me know that because my appointment (and possible treatment) had been delayed due to Covid, there is a very real possibility that I may never regain the full use of my leg again. Devastated is definitely an understatement! I don’t blame my surgeon – he’s just as frustrated by the situation as I am and it’s not his fault we’re in a global pandemic. But I am obviously angry and upset at Covid for potentially losing me the full use of my right leg. 

 

I’m trying to stay as positive as I can in the hope my surgeon can find an answer and that I will see some improvement. But it’s not easy, especially when it’s still so difficult to access services because of the strain of the pandemic.

 

And that brings me on to the second significant thing that happened in 2020 – Coronavirus. It’s obviously been a difficult time for everyone, although we have all been affected in slightly different ways and perhaps some more negatively than others. I can only really talk about the effect it’s had on me and my loved ones, but I don’t want to dismiss the fact it’s impacted each and every one of us and that some people are struggling a lot more than others. 

 

For me, in some ways, I guess I’ve been kind of lucky in a strange, roundabout kind of way. Having been chronically ill for the last 17 years, often spending large parts of my time housebound, being put into Lockdown wasn’t a huge shock for me. Chronic illness had prepared me pretty well for not being able to leave the house. So while a lot of the world struggled to come to terms with staying at home for months on end, the chronic illness community didn’t see our day-to-day lives change particularly. 

 

Don’t get me wrong – it was really hard to suddenly hear everyone complaining about being ‘stuck’ at home, telling everyone that they didn’t know how they were expected to live like this for so long. It was strange to suddenly be surrounded by people living a life that you have lived for so many years without any recognition. All of a sudden things started to be made available to people who couldn’t leave the house. It was possible to work from home, medical appointments could be done via video call, virtual tours were made available for museums and gardens and communities came together to ensure those who were housebound had access to food, medication and company. 

 

For a lot of the chronic illness and Disabled community, these changes were a double-edged sword. In some ways it felt really great to see the wider world being made accessible for the first time. I have friends who were finally able to speak to a doctor after struggling alone for years because they weren’t well enough to get to a physical appointment. But it was also incredibly frustrating and hurtful to see these adaptations be put in place with such ease and speed. We have been asking for them for years and have either been ignored, or been told it simply isn’t possible. Imagine developing a chronic illness, asking your work if they will facilitate working from home to enable you to still do your job and then having to leave when they tell you that the job can’t be done from home. And then, to add insult to injury, someone else is given your job and is then given the adaptations needed to do the job from home. It was possible all along, but only when a situation arose that affected non-disabled people. 

 

I think the way Disabled people have been treated over the last year is one of the things that has affected me most during the pandemic (other than losing the majority of my medical care and the fear of myself and my loved ones getting the virus). I’ve been well aware of ableism growing up, having been Disabled since I was 15. But over the last year it has become so overwhelming that it’s been difficult to escape, even in the safety of my own home. 

 

Constant comments on social media like “Only the elderly and vulnerable will die,” “the vulnerable should just stay inside so the rest of us can get on with our lives,” “the vulnerable should take responsibility and protect themselves – it’s not our job to mollycoddle them” and “why should the majority suffer to protect the few” have been hard to ignore. 

 

Finally being able to leave the house and finding Disabled parking bays have been turned into queuing areas or toilets have been closed has made it even harder for Disabled people to access the world. And knowing that, in the first half of 2020, 59% of all deaths involving Covid-19 were among disabled people was terrifying to hear. 

 

This year, it’s just felt like things have gone backwards with our society’s attitudes towards Disabled people, and it’s been really sad (and quite scary) to witness. I know a lot of Disabled people have found this has taken a toll on their mental health (myself included). So I hope anyone who is reading this that has been affected in a similar way is doing as OK as possible at the moment. It hasn’t been easy (and it’s hard to see things improving any time soon) but you’re doing an amazing job simply getting from one day to the next, so please don’t be too hard on yourself. Apart from my family and friends, the one thing that has kept me sane over the last year is the amazing Disabled community I have found on social media. Perhaps I’ll do a blog post at some point sharing some of my favourite accounts, as feeling a part of a community who are fighting back, showing that being Disabled isn’t a negative thing and supporting each other through this has been a real lifesaver. 

 

Goals for 2021

 

So moving onto this year – I often find it quite difficult to set New Year’s Resolutions and goals to be honest. Being chronically ill, life can be pretty unpredictable and so it can get quite demoralising setting goals and then finding my health just won’t allow me to achieve them. Add into the mix a global pandemic, and it almost feels impossible to look ahead and find things to aim for that I know will be achievable. However, I do think setting myself targets is important, as it helps me to have positive things to focus on and gives me some motivation on those days where it’s seriously lacking! So this year, I’ve tried to set myself goals that I should be able to achieve regardless of what’s happening with the pandemic (and my health to a lesser extent). I’ve tried to focus more on self-care – doing things that I know will help me to feel a bit better physically and mentally – because I think that’s what I need right now. I thought I’d share them with you, partly to give myself some accountability, but also just in case it helps anyone else who’s trying to set goals but doesn’t know where to start. So, my goals/resolutions for 2021 are:

 

Go to bed earlier

 

I’ve always been a night owl, but since the pandemic hit, I’ve got into a really bad routine of going to bed far too late. In some ways it does work for me (I guess that’s why we get into bad habits, because they do serve a purpose, even if it’s not in the best way) but I also know that it’s not the best routine to be in because it leads to me getting up a lot later in the morning and generally just feeling pretty groggy. So I really want to get myself into a better routine of going to bed a bit earlier. I’m not saying I’ll be in bed by 10pm, as that just isn’t how my body works, but I do want to gradually bring my bedtime forward until I get to a place that feels right for me. And I’m hoping it will bring the added bonus of giving me a bit of time to start reading again before I fall asleep because at the moment, I’m just too tired to even try.

 

Get back to doing my skincare routine

 

I used to religiously follow a skincare routine of cleansing, toning and moisturising every day. But when I had my leg surgery, it kind of went out the window a bit and for some reason, I’ve really struggled to get back into doing it. I think part of the reason is because I’ve felt so rubbish since having my operation – I just haven’t really felt like doing anything nice for myself, partly through feeling physically unwell and partly through my mental health not being great. And this is something I want to work on because I know spending a few minutes each day giving myself some simple pampering can make a big impact on how I feel. Even if I start with something very simple – like putting a bit of moisturiser on – I want to get back into consistently making time to look after my skin.

 

Post on my blog more

 

So as I mentioned at the beginning of this post, things were pretty quiet on my blog during 2020. And it’s something I really want to change. My blog is where I first started creating content before I expanded to Instagram and YouTube, so it holds a special place in my heart. I love writing and taking photos – it just ended up falling by the wayside a bit recently as my energy was being used for other things. I don’t want to compromise on creating content for my other platforms, so I need to try and manage my time a bit better so I can start getting some more posts on here. Apart from my energy levels, I think one thing that continually stops me posting on here is not feeling like my work is good enough. Comparing my photos to other bloggers who take the most beautiful pictures, doubting myself over whether I have something interesting or useful to say and worrying that, because I can’t get out much, what I post won’t be interesting enough – I’m constantly telling myself that there’s no point in trying because it won’t match up to what other people are doing. But the more I think about it, the more I realise how ridiculous that all sounds. I follow a whole variety of content creators and the things that they post are so diverse, and that’s why I like them. And even if no one wants to read my ramblings, I enjoy writing them and taking the photos, so I think that’s the most important thing to focus on. 

 

Be open-minded about treatment for my leg

 

As I’ve talked about in this post, my post-surgery recovery from my Femoral Osteotomy has not been going to plan. To begin with, I was quite fixed with my ideas of what was causing the problems (I thought it was all down to the rotation issues with my lower leg, and believed that by having that corrected, everything would be fixed). But, with the help of my surgeon and other medical professionals, I’m starting to realise that it probably isn’t as ‘simple’ as that, and it may be a case of a number of problems going on that we have to deal with (i.e. muscle and nerve problems too). Because of this, I feel like I need to try and be a bit more open-minded about possible treatments I’m being offered. It’s not discounting that I’m likely to need further surgery at some point to correct the misalignment in my lower leg (and possibly sorting out my other leg at some point!), but just recognising that it’s probably not a straightforward issue and that I may have to have other treatments to get me to a place where surgery can be considered. 

 

Less mindless scrolling

 

It’s only fairly recently that I’ve realised just how much time I spend scrolling through social media on my phone and how much of a negative effect this has on my mental health. I definitely think it’s got worse since Covid came along – perhaps because there’s a bit more time, but also because I think I’ve got a bit drawn into reading comments on news articles on Facebook, which really isn’t good for my mood and anxiety levels! I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with social media – in some ways, I find it completely draining, while in other ways, I find it a great place to keep in touch with friends and to feel part of an amazing community of disabled and chronically ill people. So I guess I just want to make sure I’m using it more mindfully, in ways that make me feel good. I’ve already decided not to look at Facebook before I go to bed because I know it just triggers my anxiety and doesn’t help my brain to wind down. And instead of just scrolling and scrolling, I want to use the time I’m on social media to create more content, reply to more messages/comments and interact with users who make me feel happy and empowered. 

 

Be kind to myself

 

This last resolution is probably my most important one, but is also the one I know I’m going to find the hardest. I’ve never been very good at being kind to myself. It’s a major underlying theme of my mental health problems and I can trace it right back to my childhood. But I know it needs to change if I want to keep as well as possible. I know it’s a bit non-specific, but that’s kind of deliberate, as if I make it really specific, it will just be another thing I can use to berate myself when I don’t achieve it. I’d rather see it as an overarching theme, rather than a set goal. It could include things like not giving myself a hard time if I have a day where I don’t achieve one of my goals, letting myself start the next day afresh, cutting myself some slack when I’ve felt too exhausted/unwell to do anything but get out of bed and eat. There’s a never-ending list of little things I can do to just be a bit kinder to myself, so I just want to try and be more conscious of my thoughts and actions towards myself and to continually question whether I would treat a friend the way I’m treating myself. I’ve got a long way to go to get to a place where I accept and even love myself, but starting small and making the first step is the only way to start.

How did you cope with 2020? Do you have any goals for the year ahead? And do you have any advice that might help me with mine? 

 

Follow me on Bloglovin, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and YouTube

My Goals for 2019

I’m not usually one to make New Year’s Resolutions. I’ve tried it a few times but always seem to find that by the end of January (if not before!) I’ve pretty much broken all of them. I tend to be more the kind of person to set myself little, more regular, goals throughout the year, as they seem more realistic and more achievable. But for some reason this year, I have ended up accidentally setting myself some resolutions! I’m not quite sure how it happened, as I haven’t gone out of my way to come up with goals for myself for the year ahead. But I noticed that as January was approaching, I just seemed to have a few ideas in mind of things I would quite like to work on this year. So I thought I would hold myself accountable and share my goals/resolutions with you. That way, if I don’t stick to them, then I will have to explain myself at the end of the year – talk about peer pressure! I will continue to make smaller goals throughout the year, but these resolutions are things I can continue to follow over the whole year and beyond.

Prioritise sleep

This is probably my most important goal, but also one that may sound a bit odd to some people considering I do actually sleep quite a lot due to chronic illness. But this is more about prioritising sleep at the right time, rather than sleeping all morning or napping during the day. I’ve always been a night owl and cope much better with late nights than I do with early mornings. But because of this, I find it very easy to slip into the habit of staying up really late doing unnecessary things and then feeling even worse the following day. So this year I want to get back into a bit of a better routine with my sleeping. It would be unrealistic of me to aim to get to bed by 9.30pm every night because it’s simply not how my body works best. But aiming to get to bed before midnight is something I know I can do, so certainly to start with, that’s what I will be trying to do. I’m not going to say that I won’t still sleep late or nap during the day, because it all depends on my health, but I think I will feel better mentally for going to bed before midnight and not staying up flicking through Instagram gone 2am. 

Read more

I have always been a huge bookworm. Ever since my Dad started reading me Peter Rabbit when I was a baby, I have loved a good book. When I was growing up, I would often spend my pocket money on the latest Animal Ark or Harry Potter novel, and would spend hours devouring each and every word. I guess that’s why I enjoy writing so much as well. This love of books has never really gone away, but my ability to make time to read definitely has. Certainly over the last year or so, I have found that it has been taking me a few months just to get through one book, and I just seemed to have lost my motivation to put reading first. But I miss it so much – that feeling of finding a new book, opening the first page and becoming invested in a storyline, feeling sad when you reach the last few pages. So this is my year to get back into reading again! It actually fits quite well with my first goal of going to bed earlier, as I tend to read most just before bed. So by getting myself to bed before midnight, it means I still have a bit of time and energy to snuggle up and read a chapter or two. It’s going well so far and I’m really excited to start getting through my huge ‘to be read’ pile!

Swim once a week

If you follow me on YouTube, especially my Weekly Vlogs, you will probably already know that I signed up to a local pool last summer. Having various chronic illnesses can make any kind of exercise pretty difficult, but swimming/hydrotherapy is something that I can do in small doses. My problem has always been finding a suitable space that meets my needs though. Most public swimming pools just haven’t worked for me – they’re either too cold, too busy, only offer lane swimming, are only open early mornings and late evenings or cost loads for a subscription to all sorts of things I can’t use. So when I was told about a fairly new pool in my town at a local retirement village, I was intrigued to see what they could offer. The pool is mainly for those living in the retirement homes, but they also allow guests over 60 and those with disabilities. The cost is reasonable, the pool is lovely and warm (but not too warm!), changing rooms are accessible (as is the pool), it’s really quiet and is just down the road from where I live. So since last summer I have been going down there roughly once a week to do a few hydrotherapy exercises I’ve learnt from my various physio sessions. And it’s something I want to make sure I continue this year. 

Get on with my Project Life album

Project Life, if you’ve never heard of it, is a super easy way of creating a scrapbook, pioneered by a lady called Becky Higgins. Instead of having to cut, stick and buy loads of supplies, with Project Life you simply have an album with lots of plastic pockets, which you can then slip cards and photos into. You can be as creative or simple as you like, which I think is what attracted me to the idea. I’d seen quite a few people on YouTube creating Project Life albums, so quite a while ago now I bought myself a few supplies to get me started. I love the idea of getting my photos off my computer or phone and having physical copies that I can flick through when I want to reminisce. So last year I decided that I would create an album for each year of my life, starting with 2018. However, so far I think I’m still trying to finish January of last year, so I’m not getting on too well! Which is why I thought I would set myself the goal this year of trying to update my scrapbook more often – otherwise there’s no way I will manage to do one every year! Right now, I need to focus on catching up with last year. I’ve printed out most of the photos, so it’s just a case of getting them laid out in the album. Hopefully I can get that finished and get 2019 on the go before next Christmas comes around!

Be more organised with my blog and YouTube

Since leaving university last summer, I’ve been trying to put a lot more time, energy and work into my blog and YouTube channel. I’m really enjoying being able to do that and love creating content for both outlets. But I’ve noticed that, while I’m not doing too badly with my YouTube uploads, I’m really slacking when it comes to my blog. And I’ve really missed writing posts regularly, so it’s something I need to change. The only way I think I’m going to manage to upload regularly on both channels is by getting myself more organised and really start planning everything I need to do. I have all these ideas for blog posts and videos floating round in my head, but I actually need to get them down on paper and then make a plan for how to transfer that into the finished articles. I bought myself a planner towards the end of last year, so my goal this year is to actually use it properly! That will include planning in advance what posts and videos I want to upload, and then working backwards by planning the things I need to do to make that happen. I have never really had a proper uploading schedule, and it can be quite difficult to stick to a plan when you have unpredictable health, but I think having even a rough idea of a plan to stick to might help. So I’m hoping to try and upload two videos (a Weekly Vlog and another video) and one blog post every week. If I manage more, then that’s great. But if I don’t manage to do that every week then that’s also fine. It’s just a guide to help me stay motivated at the moment. 

Use things up!

My last goal for 2019 is possibly the one that sounds most obscure! But this goal came from the fact I have drawers overflowing with various things (toiletries, make-up, stationery etc.…) and thought it was about time I did some serious tidying and clearing. It’s silly really, buying more stuff when you haven’t used up what you’ve got first. I wouldn’t say I’m a hoarder necessarily – just that I’ve ended up collecting things over the years then forgetting what I’ve got and therefore buying more! So this year, I want to try and go through all my drawers, wardrobes, cupboards and boxes to work out what I already have. At the same time, I want to try and organise things so I actually know where to look if, say, I’m looking for a new moisturiser. The idea is that I will actually start using up all those skincare samples I’ve received in beauty boxes and those notebooks I’ve bought in the Paperchase sale. So by this time next year, the hope is that my bedroom and office will be looking a lot more tidy and organised (well, a girl can dream can’t she?!) But I’m going to give it a good try!

And there you have it – my goals for 2019. I feel quite happy with them for once, and actually feel like I have a good chance of sticking to them over the next twelve months. I’m not naïve though – I know there will be times when I’m likely to slip and end up going to bed at 2am or going a bit mad on an online shopping spree. But I guess my overriding goal for this year is going to be to try and be kind to myself – not give myself a hard time if I go wrong and not write myself off after one slip up. So, if there’s a night when I’m not in bed before midnight, instead of giving up altogether, I plan to just start again the next night. And it doesn’t matter how many times I have to start again – as long as I keep trying that’s all that’s important.

Have you made any goals or resolutions for 2019?

Follow me on Bloglovin, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and YouTube

Coping with Christmas and Mental Illness

I’ve always been someone that has loved Christmas. The build up, adverts on TV, lights going up around my town and the day itself spent with loved ones. But for a lot of my life I have also struggled with mental health problems, so I know how difficult Christmas can be when you’re fighting mental illness at the same time. It’s the reason why, this year, I wanted to do a post on my blog with some suggestions for getting through Christmas when you have a mental health problem. Obviously everyone is different, so not all of the advice will suit everybody, but hopefully there will be something here that will help make Christmas that little bit easier. 

These tips and words of advice have come from a number of places – from when I was in hospital and received guidance from my therapists and doctors, to speaking to others going through difficulties, as well as things I have learnt myself along my journey. I’ve decided to split this post into two halves. The first half will contain general suggestions for anyone struggling with a whole range of different mental illnesses, from Depression and Anxiety to Bipolar Disorder or a Personality Disorder. But in the second half, I wanted to focus specifically on helping anyone who is currently fighting an eating disorder. Although some of the points can apply to anyone, I found through being in eating disorder treatment that I picked up specific pieces of advice around managing food and eating disorder behaviours over the Christmas period. There are quite a few points, but I’ve tried to organise them and split them up to make the post as easy to follow as possible.

Coping with Christmas and Mental Illness in general

Try not to compare yourself to others

Like a lot of the advice I’ve picked up, this one is easier said than done! And it’s something that I really try hard not to do the whole year round, not just at Christmas. But especially at Christmas, I can often feel completely overwhelmed and can feel like everyone else is having an amazing time whilst I’m drowning under wrapping paper and budgeting. Social media can be particularly difficult (as much as I love it!) when you’re scrolling through Instagram or Facebook and all these beautiful photos keep popping up of people decorating their homes, wrapping their presents or going on amazing Christmassy trips. It’s easy to think that everyone has got their lives sorted and that everyone else is having the perfect Christmas, but it’s important to reassure yourself that this really isn’t true. 

Yes, they may be posting lovely photos online, but we don’t know what’s going on behind those snapshots. The rest of their house could be a total mess, they may have been up all night just to get their presents wrapped or that Christmas cake made and decorated or they may be stressing out about money. So as hard as it is not to take those posts at face value and feel like a complete failure, I find it so helpful to remind myself that the majority of people will be stressing out about Christmas in one way or another, so I’m definitely not alone!

Plan social activities

I don’t know about you, but when I’m struggling with my mental health, the last thing I want to do is be sociable. I would much rather shut myself away at home and distance myself from the rest of the world. But in the long run, this usually results in me just feeling lower – convincing myself that no one cares and that I’m completely alone in the world. So I think it can be helpful to plan a sensible amount of social activities over the Christmas period so that you’re not isolating yourself and ending up alone with your negative thoughts. Obviously you need to make sure you are planning things that you are going to enjoy, or if you’re not sure you’re going to enjoy them, at least planning things where you know you will feel safe and comfortable. I can’t think of anything worse than going out clubbing until the early hours, so I’m much more likely to plan to meet a friend for a cuppa or to ask someone on a cinema date to see a Christmassy film. But even something as ‘little’ as asking a friend or family member over to watch a DVD will make a difference to your mood, so try and have a think about what you feel you could manage to do over the next few weeks.

But also have some ‘me’ time

As important as it is to make sure you socialise, I also think it is just as vital to allow yourself some time alone. I actually quite enjoy being on my own (as long as it’s not all the time) and as long as it’s planned, I don’t think it’s a negative thing at all. Time alone gives us the opportunity to relax and recharge our batteries, which is much needed at this time of year. So whether you decide to spend an hour or two reading a good book, watching a film on Netflix, having a bubble bath or just catching up on writing your Christmas cards, don’t feel bad about not being out and about 24/7.

Write lists

I’m a big list writer and will happily start my list with a few things I’ve already done, just so I can tick them off and make myself feel a bit better! But especially when Christmas comes round, I think it can be really helpful for our mental health to write things down. At this time of year, I can often just feel like my head is spinning with all the different things I need to get done. It sends my anxiety through the roof and then I usually end up feeling more depressed because I’m so overwhelmed that I just don’t know where to start. But writing all those things whirring round in my head down can really help me to reduce that anxiety – all of a sudden instead of all of these things going round in my head, they are now on a piece of paper and I don’t have to constantly think about them any more. It also really helps me to feel motivated as I begin to tick things off my list because I can look back and see what I’ve achieved. 

Don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself

I feel like with this piece of advice, it’s do as a say and not as I do! Because I’m terrible at following this one! As Christmas comes round, we can often feel like there are so many things that we ‘have’ to do. Whether that’s writing Christmas cards for your whole address book, baking festive treats for the school Christmas bake sale or preparing Christmas lunch for the extended family – there are always things that we tell ourselves we must do. But I think it can be helpful to take a bit of a step back and actually look at all the things on our to-do list and ask ourselves if they really need to be done. Or if they need to be done in the way we are currently trying to do them. So, rather than sending Christmas cards to everyone in your address book, why not just send them to those closest to you? Or tell everyone that instead of sending cards this year, you are going to donate to charity instead. Do you really need to bake three different types of treats for the school bake sale? And if you’re hosting Christmas lunch, why not ask your guests to pitch in and bring some of the dishes with them? We tend to end up thinking we need to do 110% and to do it all ourselves, when in reality the pressure we are putting on ourselves is not necessary (believe me, I’m the worst for doing this!) There’s nothing wrong with asking others to help you or for cutting things down. People who love you won’t mind and would much rather you were healthy and happy at Christmas. 

Talk to someone

If you’re feeling worried/stressed/upset or anything else about Christmas, then please make sure you talk to someone about it rather than bottling up all those negative feelings. I know it can sometimes be really difficult to talk to friends and family about your mental health, so if you’re struggling to talk to those around you perhaps look further afield. If you’re having regular therapy, then talk about your worries there – it’s what its there for and you will feel a lot better for getting those stresses off your chest. I often found in therapy, I would bring something up that was really worrying me, and talking about it would help me put it into perspective. By the end of my session that anxiety wouldn’t feel half as bad. If you don’t currently have a therapist, there are also charities that offer helplines. I’m a big fan of Mind and The Samaritans who have both helped me through some really difficult times.

Get some sleep

Getting into a good sleep routine can make the world of different to our mental health, but like so many other things that are good for us, it can be easier said than done! Especially when Christmas comes around, it can be very tempting to stay up late and wrap presents or watch something on TV. But the next morning you end up feeling groggy, lethargic and more anxious or depressed than usual. So, if you can, try to get yourself into a regular bedtime routine to give your body the time it needs to recharge. Whether that’s having a warm bath, reading some of your book with a cup of tea and then snuggling into bed or simply turning off the computer at the same time each night, it’s amazing the difference a routine can make (this is one I am definitely trying to get myself to follow!)

Get outside

This time of year, it is so tempting to just hibernate inside away from the cold, dark and rain. But I know for me, if I spend too much time inside I can start to feel the effect on my mood. I start to feel more down, more lethargic and just generally more frustrated by life. It’s not easy when the weather is rubbish, but even if you just go out in the garden for a few minutes or open your bedroom window to feel the fresh air on your face, it can make a real difference. If I can, I like to try and get out in my wheelchair for a bit of a ‘walk’ – seeing the frosty grass or the leaves changing colour and smelling that bonfire smell just really seems to help lift my mood a bit. And when life is so busy and everyone’s rushing around getting ready for Christmas, getting back to nature and away from the hustle and bustle can really help to calm my anxiety.

Set realistic goals

This is another point that doesn’t just have to apply over Christmas. But especially at this time of year, when you feel like you need to be doing everything, seeing everyone and giving everything, it is really important to be realistic in the goals you are setting yourself. I find goal setting quite helpful for my mental health because it gives me something positive to focus on and a reason to get out of bed in the morning. But there’s no point in setting unrealistic goals that will just leave me feeling like a failure or completely burnt out before Christmas has even arrived. I try to plan what presents I want to get everybody and also roughly how much I am able to spend on each person. It’s very easy to get carried away before you realise how much money you’ve spent, and with money being one of my biggest anxieties over Christmas, setting realistic spending goals just helps reduce that anxiety a bit. I also find it helpful to look at my calendar for the whole of December so I don’t put too much pressure on myself. I look at the things I have to do like hospital appointments, then try and schedule in a few nice social activities, but also make sure I’ve got days when I can just be at home.

Have a plan of escape

Something I learnt while I was in therapy was to have a plan of escape for if things were getting too much for me in social situations. When you’re struggling with your mental health, just going along to social gatherings can be difficult. And I know I often feel like once I’m in that social situation I may not be able to leave, which just ends up sending my anxiety through the roof. So before events now, I will often have a plan in my head of what I will do if things get too overwhelming. This will depend on where I’m going and who I’m with. If I’m with people I’m close to, who really understand my mental health, then I find it a lot easier to just be open with them and let them know that I need to head off because I’m not feeling great. But if I’m with people I don’t know so well, it can be helpful to just have an excuse to leave already planned. For example, saying that you need to head off because you have an early start the next day, or you need to get home to let the dog out – yes, they can be little white lies, but if it means you are actually able to get out and do something in the first place then I think that’s OK. I know I often find that just having that escape plan is enough and that it takes some of the anxiety of going out away so I don’t end up needing to use it.

Limit your alcohol intake and eat sensibly

I know this piece of advice is fairly common sense, but when you’re struggling around Christmas it can be tempting to turn to things that might make it feel easier, like alcohol and food. I’m not saying you need to be a saint – we all deserve to enjoy ourselves and take part in the festivities if we want to. But I know from experience that drinking or eating too much just ends up making me feel worse in the long run. Alcohol is a depressant, so as great as it might make you feel when you’re first drinking it, it’s likely to lower your mood as it begins to wear off. And as much as I love all the treats around Christmas, I also know that stuffing myself full of mince pies, Yule log and Christmas tree chocolates just makes me feel sick and lethargic for days later. I try to live by the saying ‘Everything in moderation,’ and that seems to help me enjoy these things without making myself feel worse.

Learn to say no…but don’t be afraid to say yes

I am very much a ‘yes’ person. If someone asks me to do something, I am more than likely to agree. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but when you start to put everyone else before yourself all the time, things can start to get too much. As I’ve got older though, I’ve learnt that it’s OK to say no to things! If your calendar is filling up and you just need a bit of quiet time, perhaps suggest meeting up with your friend after Christmas. Or if they invite you to an event that you really feel you can’t manage, why not suggest just meeting up for a cuppa instead. Saying no in the right circumstances can really help you to feel empowered and like you are taking control of your own mental and physical health. 

Although it’s good to say no sometimes, it is also important to say yes too! I know this sounds like a bit of a contradiction, but you don’t want to go from saying yes to everything to saying no to everything. It’s important to find a happy balance. Sometimes, someone might ask me to do something and my gut reaction is to say no. But then I give it some thought, and although it might scare me a bit, I try to push myself out of my comfort zone. Nine times out of ten, I come back having really enjoyed myself, which in turn has a positive effect on my mental health. I guess the moral of the story is – you need to feel like you’re in control of what you’re saying yes and no to, rather than feeling like others are dictating your life.

Look at the bigger picture

This is a technique I use quite a lot and I find it really helps to put things into perspective. When I’m feeling really stressed out about Christmas (or another event) I try to remind myself that it’s only one day. One day out of 365 other days in the year. Looking at it that way, it doesn’t seem quite so daunting, and if I can get through those 24 hours, then I’ve done it! And in a month’s time, will I still be stressing about Christmas? No, it will be a distant memory. Looking at the bigger picture just helps me to reduce my anxiety around them a bit and look at them in relation to everything else that’s going on in my week/month/year.

It’s OK not to feel excited

This final piece of advice is possibly the one I have found most helpful over the years. As Christmas approaches, everywhere we look people are telling us to get excited, look forward to the big day and go a bit crazy. So it can feel quite difficult if those are the last things you feel like doing. But remind yourself that it’s OK if you don’t feel those things – believe me, not everyone does. Give yourself permission to just feel however you are feeling at the time. If you’re worried, then that’s OK. If you’re sad, then you’re allowed to feel that way. Yes, you may not want to, but it’s important to acknowledge and talk about those feelings because they’re there for a reason. And it just takes off the pressure of forcing yourself to be happy when you just aren’t. 

Coping with Christmas and an Eating Disorder

Stick to your meal plan

Generally, if you’re in eating disorder treatment, you are likely to have a meal plan that you follow every day. So if you’re just starting your recovery, or are struggling a lot at the moment, then it’s OK to just stick to your everyday plan if that’s what feels safest at the time. You might feel a bit different if you’re not eating exactly the same as everyone else around the table, but the important thing is keeping on track with your recovery. And if that means sticking to your meal plan, then that’s absolutely fine.

But adapt your plan if you can

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with sticking to your normal plan, but if you feel able to (and it won’t put your recovery back) then it can be good to change things about a bit over Christmas. There are lots of different foods this time of year, and it can feel really scary when its things you haven’t necessarily eaten for a long time. But while I was in treatment, we were encouraged to adapt our meal plans to include some traditional Christmas foods as well. So, for example, instead of our usual biscuits at snack time, we might have a mince pie instead. And for dinner on Christmas Day, we would incorporate the Christmas meal that the rest of our family were eating. It just meant that we were challenging ourselves a bit, but also that we felt part of Christmas because we were joining in with everyone around us. 

Prepare and plan

Talking of meal plans; I found it so important to make sure I had my meal plan set well in advance of Christmas. I would sit down with my family and we would go through what they would be eating around Christmas. They would then help me write my own plan, just like I would with my normal meal plans, including snacks, puddings etc. Doing this well in advance just meant that we all knew what to expect – I knew what I was meant to be eating, as did my parents, and it reduced the likelihood of arguments over food on the day. 

Eat regularly

Meal times can be a bit all over the place over the Christmas period, so it’s important to make sure you are eating regularly, especially if there are going to be long gaps between main meals. I know that I found, if I allowed myself to get too hungry I would either end up binging, or I would find it really hard to start eating again. So eating at regular intervals helped me keep on top of things like that. Having your own supply of snacks with you can be really helpful, and this is also where your meal plan will help too.

Try not to label foods good and bad

This was something that was drummed into us in eating disorder treatment – there is no such thing as a good or a bad food, despite what the media might try and tell us. And especially at Christmas, this can be really hard with different foods and everyone talking about weight gain, eating naughty things and the post-Christmas diet. But try to remind yourself that it’s all about moderation. If you eat a mince pie for your snack, then there’s absolutely nothing ‘bad’ about that. Yes, if you sat and ate five packets of them, then that may not be such a good idea. But eating a balanced diet and allowing yourself a range of different foods is what is most important in your recovery.

Have a list of distractions

I have always found after meals quite a difficult time, and I spent a long time struggling with making myself sick after eating. So I find it really helpful to have a list of possible distractions – things I can do once I’ve finished eating to give me something more positive to think about. These distractions can be pretty much anything that works for you. Whether it’s colouring, reading, watching a film, listening to music, knitting, writing letters – the list is endless. 

Conversation cards

It’s not just the time after eating that is difficult, as mealtimes themselves can be a struggle too. This can be made worse around Christmas, when perhaps you’re eating with people you don’t normally have to eat around. It can often feel like everyone’s eyes are on you (even though I promise you they’re not). But something that can help with this is to have conversation cards on the table. This is something people often do around Christmas anyway, just to add a bit more fun to meal times, so it doesn’t have to be specifically because you have an eating disorder. It just gives everyone things to talk about to keep conversation away from anything that you might find triggering.

Play music

Another tip for during meal times is to have music playing (and Christmas music would be great at this time of year!) When I was in Day Patient Treatment, we would always have the radio playing during our meal times and it really did help. It takes away that awkward silence and would give me something to focus on if I was particularly struggling. 

Ask a relative to speak to extended family

This is the time of year when we tend to eat around people we don’t ordinarily eat around, and this can be incredibly difficult when you’ve got an eating disorder. It may be that you have friends or family coming to your house over Christmas, or you may have been invited somewhere yourself. If possible, it can really help if someone you are close to can speak to everyone else in advance about what to avoid saying. Some people can think that commenting on weight gain or what a good portion you’re eating will be helpful, when in reality it can trigger a relapse – the last thing you want to happen. So if a close friend or relative can talk to everyone in advance, it takes away that worry that people might say something triggering on the day. And it can also help them to feel less anxious about what they’re going to say to you too!

Have a supporter

This sounds very official, but in reality it just means finding someone you trust to look out for you on the day. When I was in treatment and we went to family gatherings, I would talk to my Mum or Dad in advance and agree some signals that I could make if I was finding things too much. They could also keep an eye on me and look out for if I needed a bit of extra support. Having that safety blanket there definitely made social situations and meal times a bit less daunting. 

Continue as normal after Christmas

If you’ve changed things up a bit over Christmas or eaten foods that you don’t usually eat, it can be tempting to try and compensate in the days and weeks after. Guilt can take over and all of a sudden you feel like you need to restrict and cut things out of your plan, but believe me when I say it really doesn’t help you in the long run. If you’re struggling after Christmas, then please do talk to someone, whether it’s your therapist, someone close to you or the Beat Helpline. It’s much better to talk about those feelings than it is to start reverting back to eating disorder behaviours.

Be kind to yourself

My final point for this post is just to try and be kind to yourself. I know that this is so much easier said than done, and it’s something I still try to work on every day, but I think it’s one of the most important things we can do. Focus on all the things you have achieved this year – however big or small they are. Focus on the fact that you’re making it through Christmas, and even if you slip up, that’s OK – you don’t need to beat yourself up. Slip-ups are part of recovery and we all make mistakes. I just keep trying to remind myself that I deserve to be happy and to eat nice foods (and even if I don’t believe it, I still keep telling myself so that one day, hopefully I will believe it). 

I really hope that somewhere in this post you might find something that will help you get through this Christmas. And I really hope that the New Year will bring you peace, comfort and happiness. 

Do you have any advice for coping with Christmas when you have a mental illness?

Follow me on Bloglovin, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and YouTube