Merry christmas to all

This is my last entry for 2011. Next week I have given myself the week off. Much needed "me" time.

I just want to wish you all a merry christmas to spend the way you want. And for next year, health and happiness.

January is a time for new starts and I hope it will be a good year for you and it will bring you all you hope for.

Thank you for following my blog this year and I hope you will continue to do so in 2012.

Mieke

So what are you going to watch over Christmas?

For me Christmas itself is about watching DVD's. This stems from the many years that I worked in a bookstore and I was too tired when christmar rolled around to do anything else. Even since I stopped working there I kept the tradition. Of course I will spend some time with my parents or occasionally friends but mostly it is me time. It took me some time to admit openly that this makes me happy as christmas is supposed to be a time to spend with others and eat a lot. I thought people would pitty me when I told them I preferred to spend it on my own in front of the telly. Now that I am secure in who I am, I have no more problems saying this out loud. I will settle in my favorite chair with a fire blazing and a hot water bottle near. Then let the feast begin.

What will I watch this year?

I have many options. Usually I allow myself a few DVD's from my wishlist for christmas and I combine that with some christmas classics.

This year there were two [for me] new christmas movies on my wishlist. Thomas Kinkade's christmas cottage and christmas lodge. The first one is in, the other will be shipped from the States so fingers crossed it comes in on time. I selected it because Erin Karpluk from Being Erica is the female lead and I like her a lot. BTW Being Erica is a Canadian show well worth watching.

Next will be some classics I have owned for a few years now. Usually I am not into silly comedies but at christmas time I love them. I will select from between National Lampoon's christmas holiday and the Santa Clause movies. Next to those I might throw in Love absolutely and It's a wonderful life.


That brings me to the non-christmas movies and series:

I am a huge fan of British mysteries so I will be rewatching series that I saw many years ago and am now starting to buy on DVD. The first seasons of The Chief and Judge John Deed just came in and I am saving those for christmas. I might also throw in some Midsomer murders.

tv specials

Last will be the tv specials of favorite shows. I have not seen the list yet but there is a Dr. Who special every year and I have heard there will be a Downton Abbey special this year. Both shows I love.

That concludes my list. Please share what you are going to watch this year! 

 

Holiday season survival tips

It's that time of the year again. Holiday season! The time of year people expect you to be happy and in good cheer. How many people really talk about the holiday stress of having to get everything done: shopping, decorating, Christmas cards.

Now as this is stressful for the general population, you can imagine how much harder it is going to be for Highly sensitive people or those coping with pain. More often than usual you don't want to show your family and friends how stressed you are and of course everything you do has to be perfect. :)

Yet I tell you it is time to change. It is hard to hear, but don't try to be perfect, good is good enough.

Here are some plans to get through the holiday season  with less stress and more enjoyment

• Plan! Plan! Plan! Start your preparations early! Best is to make a plan of all you have to do and leave yourself plenty of free time for days that you are really not up to doing anything.
• Prioritise, go through your Christmas card list and ask yourself do you really need to send them all? Did everyone return your cards last year? Could you just send some people an online card? The same with sending parcels. Does it give you stress or pleasure?
• Delegate! Delegate! Delegate. Listen carefully, you do not have to do everything on your own. Family and friends are capable of helping and often they are glad to help you. They would rather see you happy and doing less than miserable when doing everything on your own. A hard thing to get for us perfectionists.
• Say no. If you are not up for family visits Christmas eve and/or both days of Christmas, don't do it. Think of yourself first.

 I know this is not as easy as it sounds. You don't want to let anyone down. But keep in mind, if you try to please everyone around you, you are going to be the one ending up in pain and with a lot of stress. Look after yourself first.

Let me know if you have any holiday tips and success stories of managing your stress in this last month of the year.
 

Keep educating yourself on pain remedies

I have to admit, these have not been the best weeks of my life. Neck and shoulder pains were rearing their ugly heads. The resulst were severe pain in that neck and headaches that on some days made it impossible to even get out of bed. On days like these even my belief in positive thinking is stretched to it's limits and I have to admit that on one day it completely failed. After that day it was time to act!

I sat myself down and started thinking about solutions. Also talked to some good friends to cheer myself up.
Fact is that I am getting more headaches in the mornings now and getting up extremely sore. I know my matras is a good one and not too old so I am ruling that out. Then we come to cushion and that I am not sure off. So time for research. I have included a youtube video I found. [Sorry it is in Dutch but maybe the images speak for itself] It tought me something I did not know. I thought that I had a healthy sleeping habit sleeping on my side and using a cushion with neck support. But.. my cushion has been outdated by new technology and sleeping on my side is not as healthy as I thought it was. When you sleep your body relaxes and you sink into a 3/4 belly position which puts a lot of strain on your neck muscles. Best thing is to sleep with a sleep rol which supports your knees and your upper arm. This way your neck stays in alligment with the rest of your body. I tried it out with an old cushion just to support my upper arm and the difference was remarkable!  Already it gave pain relief.


So now I am going to get new cushions as soon as possible. What I want to share here is: know your body! If a new kind of pain joins, do not accept it without research. Be a detective and try to figure out a solution. Either alone, with friends or with therapists and doctors. [never do something invasive without talking to a doctor first!] Even with older pain, technology never stops. Keep searching and willing to try new remedies. And never give up hope! Life is too good.