Three days ago I tried getting around to writing this post but do you think I’ve been able to get around to it! With the Christmas season in full swing things have been really busy, and I’ve needed to find some much needed time for quite. Once again I can feel my nervous system winding up and not wanting to relax! Sounds like a typical persons life at this time of year doesn’t it. As I’ve mentioned in other posts Christmas is a hard time for a lot of us who deal with chronic pain. With things like family gatherings, parties, and children’s concerts it becomes really hard to stay relaxed.

I love this time of the year but at the same time it’s a very difficult time of the year and I usually find that my pain level rises conciderably over this time of the year. This week things start to get busy and will continue that way until New Years and I have already gone into pain control mode! Very soon it will be time to head back out to the lake for Christmas to be around family for the holidays.

I’m very lucky in that I’ve found a way to be with family, and manage my pain at the same time. For other’s that battle chronic pain this is a time of year that they can’t stand and would much rather be alone. It isn’t that they don’t enjoy being around loved ones or friends, its that they are dealing with enormous amounts of pain that only increase with added stresses at this time of the year. For some the large family gatherings, the parties, and the noisy concerts just contribute to the increase in pain. So in some cases it’s just easier to avoid rather than put themselves through all of that.

Are you related to or married to someone dealing with chronic pain? Then take a minute to think about that special person and why they might be having a really hard time right now. Are they having a harder time than usual at the moment? Do you notice changes in their mood? It’s hard enough to get through the day living with chronic pain, let alone going to all the parties and other functions. I’m blessed to have a family that understands this, and so they allow me the space that I need when it comes to all the family gatherings or any other event.

Often at this time of the year people can be quick to say that people living in pain are like the “Grinch” not wanting to partake in Christmas festivities. What it comes down to though is that they don’t understand why the person is acting the that way they do . Chronic pain pushes people right to the edge and it is often so severe that for some it pushes them over the edge and causes them to end their life.

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year and if I have to do things a little different to enjoy the season, then that’s what I have to do. It doesn’t matter if I’m with family five minutes or five hours, the point is that I’m with family and they understand what I’m going through. So I’d ask you to think about your loved ones dealing with chronic pain. It isn’t that they don’t want to be with you, or go to the parties and gatherings with you. It’s that they are trying to cope with something so much bigger than they had ever imagined having to live with in their life.

My effort in today’s post is to enlighten and educate some of you out there who may be struggling with someone who’s dealing with chronic pain. Take a minute this Christmas to understand what is really going on inside of that person. Make it a great Christmas just having that person in your life.