During the festive season, mental well-being can be especially difficult to prioritize. With all the cooking and traveling, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and forget your needs. This reminds me of a favorite quote,
“you can’t fill from an empty cup; take care of yourself first.”
To help you fill your cup, we’re sharing helpful advice for managing chronic pain and staying in the moment this holiday season (and beyond). Once you’ve reviewed our suggestions, you’ll hopefully be prepared to cope with your physical and emotional pain now and in the future.
2022 has been all about getting back to what really matters. Vibrant health, quality family time, and shameless self-care. The simpler things.
Here are some simple tips on holiday self-care from the doctors at Pain Free For Life:
#1 Stick to Your Routine
We understand how tempting it can be to skimp on sleep, slide on healthy meals, and disregard your regular low-impact exercise routine during the holidays. But we encourage you to stick to what’s already working for you in terms of a self-care routine to ensure you enjoy the fun feeling your best.
But what if you haven’t started implementing changes in your routine that help to ease chronic pain, like the, for instance, The Hache Protocol? In that case, the holidays are the perfect time to set that intention. Whether it be a resolution or just something you say quietly to yourself, committing to be pain-free has a powerful effect on your outlook.
Sticking with your routine is essential because it helps you stay energized, balanced, and able to appreciate all the memories that come with the season. If carving out time for yourself is tough, consider planning group or family activities that help boost overall health, like a communal walk, hike, ski, sauna, or healthy potluck.
If inflammatory foods like red meat or sweets rile up your inflammation, make a few simple swaps, and your guests will be none the wiser. We have tons of ideas for how to enjoy holiday flavors without inflammation if you’re interested. These recipes, equal measures delicious and wholesome, include a luxurious decaf chai tea, warm ginger spiced carrots, and even some kid-friendly vegan & gluten-free gingerbread waffles. Is your mouth watering yet?
The main takeaway here is that you can still 100% be a part of the festivities without being affected by these common holiday health pitfalls:
- Stress
- Depression
- Weight gain
- Hangovers
- Blood sugar spikes
- Inflammation
- Headaches
It all starts with a little intention setting and a practice we’re sure you hear a lot about these days, self-care.
#2 Make “Me” Time a Priority
If you start to feel overwhelmed, step away for a few minutes and take some deep breaths. It’s okay to take a break if you need to. Many of us have complicated family histories and structures that can trigger emotional responses. But remember, if someone’s behavior is affecting your health, you are by no means obliged to submit yourself to situations that keep you from healing.
Consider talking with a counselor or trusted friend about complex family dynamics because these issues tend to crop up in the body as physical pain years later if left unresolved. We’ve had great success in our clinic treating those with PTSD and depression with cranial nerve stimulation and Vagus nerve stimulation via microcurrent therapy.
What is self-care, anyway?
Self-care is as unique as the person practicing it. As we mentioned in our previous blog about mentally coping with chronic pain, alcohol, drugs, binge eating, and other escapism techniques are never the answer to resolving your pain.
It can be difficult to boldly live in the reality that your pain is holding you back. But this acceptance is vital in resolving your discomfort and adopting a Pain Free For Life Mindset. From there, nothing is holding you back from turning your mindset – and pain – around.
Here are some of our favorite Hache Protocol-approved ideas for self-care:
- Listen to a podcast. Podcasts are a great way to unwind and take a little “me” time. If you’re looking for a new one to check out or are new to podcasts, we recommend learning about The Pain Free For Life Podcast! We recently uncovered the Top Pain Free For Life Podcast Episodes of 2022 for you to enjoy.
- Snuggle up with an EMF Shielding Blanket. This is one way to practice self-care that is entirely passive. Just drape your Sana blanket over your body, and that’s it! Nothing says relaxation like kicking back and cracking into a juicy book under our Sana Health Blanket.
Utilizing a special energy mirror technology, our healing blanket captures your body’s natural radiation and reflects it back towards you. This encourages self-correction within your system – all without ever leaving home.
Use this health-boosting blanket anywhere: while watching TV or talking on the phone, when resting, working, traveling, or in a spa or clinical setting. With its shielding capability blocking out harmful EMFs, you can let go of worries while you sleep.
- Try a scalar wave healing session. Scalar waves are changing how the field of Energy Medicine and holistic health address stress, chronic pain, and more. To learn how to improve your wellness with scalar waves, read our blog!
- Plan an at-home spa day. Plan an at-home spa day with your friends, partner, or alone. Whether it be a microcurrent facelift, an at-home facial, or some dry brushing and self-massage, there’s always a unique way to show your body some love. To help set the spa-like atmosphere in your space, try making the homemade Lavender Aromatherapy Spray we included in last week’s holistic homemade gift guide.
#3 Reach Out
Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you need help with cooking, cleaning, or anything else, don’t hesitate to ask someone for a hand. Dealing with chronic pain can be difficult, but by following these tips and using mental health coping strategies like microcurrent, mindfulness, breathing exercises, and meditation, you can make it through the holidays with minimal stress.
- So that you know, our Pain Free For Life Support Group is completely free and open if you’d like to join! There, you’ll meet people from all over the world who are like-minded in their quest for natural and non-invasive pain solutions. We have doctors, healers, veterinarians, mental health professionals, and everyday people in our group to help answer your questions about microcurrent therapy and The Hache Protocol For Pain Resolution.