The Holidays Are Bringing Added Stress To My Psoriatic Arthritis

As I was traveling alone the other day, I got to thinking of the upcoming holidays and how much-added stress can bring on during the "festive" season.

Managing stress around the holidays

If I was a betting person, which I am not, I would have to say that I bet the majority of this psoriatic arthritis community gets stressed at the holidays. Am I right?

This article is not about how to avoid stress because the times that we live in right now dictate that stress is almost inevitable. This is about letting you know that you are not alone.

Find yourself in the kitchen

One of my favorite things about the holidays is cooking. I love to put together big meals for my family. If my son is home, I enjoy having his company in my kitchen as he also loves to cook. It is kind of our special time together. It does, however, cause stress trying to cook all of it.

Sadly this year, I will not have that to worry about. He and his lovely wife are doing Thanksgiving at their home because of the pandemic. I can’t blame them at all.

They have a one-year-old daughter that has a creatinine deficiency. They do not want to chance traveling with her and risking her health or theirs for that matter. It means a less elaborate meal being cooked since it will just be my husband and me.

Have those tough conversations

I have family that says we are more than welcome to come to their house. That is great but here comes the stress. Do I even dare given that my immune system is so compromised? As I write this article I know at least six people who have either had COVID-19 or are recovering from it.

I do not think being with other family is a risk that I want to take. I do believe it is a conversation most of us are having either with ourselves or with family right now. You do not want to hurt anyone’s feelings but you have concerns.

I know I do. It is repeated over and over again how the CDC is saying to not go to family gatherings this holiday season.

Prioritize your health

There are so many different opinions on all of this that it makes it hard for a person to know what the best way to go is. I do realize that some people are going to do what they want to do without worrying about it.

However, when health is a consideration, I tend to lean more on the cautious side of things. After all, having psoriatic arthritis and being on a biologic puts me in the category of being high risk.

I have some family members that believe this is just another form of the flu. While others believe everything the CDC advises about COVID-19. This is yet another reason to stress about the holidays should be spent with family or not.

How do you manage stress?

I could spend a lot of time going on and on about all the different stress that is brought on by the holiday season. From cooking to eating, to being or not being with family, I can feel the stress starting to come in waves like waves on an ocean.

I have to believe that I am not the only one going through this right now. Maybe the decision is cut and dry for you. If so, would you please share your thoughts on the subject? It is hard to fathom a holiday spent at home with no other family around.