How To Handle The Holidays, Chronic Pain And Depression

sad holidaysThe holiday season is upon us, and while some people look forward to this time of year, others dread having to navigate the holidays if they are dealing with chronic pain and depression. As we’ve talked about on the blog in the past, there is a strong link between chronic pain and an increased risk of mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, and both chronic pain and your mental health can get worse during the holiday season for a host of reasons.

Maybe family issues take the spotlight this time of year, you’re dealing with the financial stress that the holidays can bring, or you’re worried that seasonal affective disorder brought on by the colder and darker days could further complicate your mental health. These are all real threats to your mental health that countless people deal with during the holidays. And while it may not make you feel a lot better that others are going through something similar, there are ways to combat chronic pain and depression during the holidays. We share those tips in today’s blog.

Managing Your Mental And Physical Health During The Holidays

Everyone is dealing with their own issues, so there’s no one-size-fits-all playbook for overcoming issues that can be intensified during the holidays. Some of these tips may be helpful to you, while others may not. What’s important is that you keep on trying until you find a healthy outlet that works for you.

Learn To Say No – One of the best things you can do during the busy holiday season is learn to say no. Don’t spread yourself too thin by trying to please others all the time. Set some healthy boundaries and say no when things aren’t right for your physical or mental health. While that may sound easier said than done, really try to start setting health boundaries and saying no for the betterment of your health.

Exercise – Numerous studies have found an association between exercise and improved mental and physical health. Now, that’s not to say that going for a run will cure your depression or fix your ailing back, but it’s a step in the right direction. Exercise and activity strengthens our body and releases dopamine in our brain, which acts as a natural mood enhancer. Find ways to get moving every day because activity and exercise can help improve your physical and mental health.

Manage Your Expectations – It’s also important to have realistic expectations and goals. If you have unreasonable expectations, you’ll constantly be missing your target, and that can be self-defeating. You don’t need to try to lose 30 pounds in a month or run a half marathon next month. Instead, start with small, easily attainable goals and build on those. Something simple like “Do three things for your mental or physical health today,” and then write down what three things you did at the end of the day. Work on setting attainable goals and expectations so that you set yourself up for success.

De-stress Your Way – The holidays can be extremely stressful, and that can be hard on your mental and physical well-being. Now more than ever, it’s important that you find ways to help yourself de-stress. Take your dog for a walk, run on the treadmill, head to your room and read for 30 minutes, call a friend and talk about anything other than what’s stressing you. Find what works for you, and when you feel stress developing, alleviate it with healthy habits.

Reach Out To A Pain Management Specialist – Finally, if you’re still finding it difficult to manage physical or mental health issues this holiday season, please reach out to a professional. Not only is our team well-versed in helping treat physical chronic pain issues, but we have decades of knowledge of the mental side of pain and stress. If you don’t take care of the mental aspects of pain, anxiety and depression, the physical side will never truly resolve, and vice versa. Let us help find individual solutions for whatever is bothering you.

We hope you have a wonderful holiday season, but we know that won’t come easy for many people. Just know that we’re here for you if you need us. For more information, contact Dr. Cohn and his team today at (952) 738-4580.

Surviving The Holidays If You Have Chronic Pain

holidays painThe holiday season is upon us, and while it’s often marketed as the happiest time of the year, for individuals with chronic pain, the holiday season is often filled with stress and pain. Those two things – stress and pain – often go hand in hand with one another because stress can be a chronic pain trigger, and the holidays can be one of the most stressful times of the year, in turn making it a painful time of the year for chronic pain sufferers.

And while we don’t have all the answers to make your holiday season perfect, there is a playbook you should follow if you want to help prevent against painful flareups. Below, we share some tips for surviving the holiday season if you have chronic pain.

Pain, Stress and the Holidays

This blog is going to focus on some of the major stressors of the holiday season and tips for alleviating this stress so that they don’t become a source of a chronic pain flareup.

Finances – Money can easily become tight during the holiday season if we’re not careful, and money is one of the most common sources of stress during everyday life. Develop a budget, limit your spending and make sure that you don’t go into a financial hole trying to buy things during the holiday, because this can lead to stress and pain flareups.

Diet – A poor diet can also trigger inflammation and a pain flareup, so try to eat somewhat healthy over the holidays. It can be easy to indulge in Christmas candy and stocking stuffers, but if you eat too much sugar, your pain condition may be more present throughout the holidays. Strive to make more healthy food choices during the holidays.

Limited Exercise – Exercise is a great way for us to manage stress, but oftentimes it can be tough to perform your regular exercise during the holidays. You may be crunched for time because of the holidays or find it difficult to perform a workout when it’s cold and dark most of the day, but don’t avoid physical activity. If you find yourself getting stressed, carve out time for some simple exercise, because it will be beneficial for both your mind and body.

COVID Stress – Obviously the coronavirus is still a major problem in Minnesota and throughout the United States, and fear of contracting the virus during family gatherings or church can lead to a lot of internal stress. Put your health first and avoid unsafe gatherings. You’re not a Grinch or a Scrooge if you skip out on certain events this year because of rightful concerns over the coronavirus. Don’t add stress to your plate because you felt obligated to go to an unsafe gathering.

Take Time For Yourself – If you’re one of those people who wants to please everyone else during the holidays, you need to make sure you’re taking some time for yourself. Because if you don’t, stress will catch up with you. Practice some yoga or meditation, or just wake up 30 minutes before everyone else and take some time to enjoy your morning coffee in peace. If you take time for yourself, you’ll be better able to care for others during the holiday.

Sleep – Finally, make sure you are getting enough quality sleep each and every day. Lack of sleep can lead to inflammation and chronic pain flareups. We know that this is easier said than done, but force yourself to head to bed at a reasonable time and make your bedroom an ideal sleep environment. Improving your sleep quality is one of the easiest ways to limit stress and chronic pain flareups.

If you need help with any of the above aspects, or you want professional assistance with your pain condition, reach out to Dr. Cohn’s office today.

Tips For Staying Pain Free and Fit While Traveling

thanksgiving travelingWhile on vacation it is easy to lose all motivation to stay in shape. Extreme temptation is present to eat too much, to indulge with lots of fatty or sweet foods, and not to exercise. It is not fun to take the time to exercise versus sleeping or to say no to foods that the heart desires. However, staying a bit more fit is often easier than one may think, and making it a priority will serve you well. If you have chronic pain problems, keeping up with an exercise program will make travel go much smoother.

Exercising on the Go

If one stays at a hotel, most places have some exercise equipment available. Business travelers often exercise early in the morning, and if there are only a few pieces of equipment present, you may have to adjust your timing during the day if using it is important to you. Oftentimes no one else will be using workout equipment during the middle of the day and before dinner. I have often worked out with no one else around hours before dinner. The other benefit of exercising before dinner is that exercise tends to reduce your appetite.

Starting the day with exercise often helps get the body moving and decreases overall pain throughout the body. Many routines do not require any significant amount of equipment and can be done anywhere. The first thing is to spend 5-10 minutes with a good stretching routine. If you have low back pain, work at sitting on the ground and touching the toes, stand and touch the toes, and then do hip stretching by leaning forward with the pelvis. Tight muscles hurt, and although initially a stretch might slightly increase pain, as the muscles loosen, the pain often goes away.  

Strengthening does not require any amount of special equipment. Core strengthening can be done without any or with simple things like rubber tubing or bands. Basic core exercises to do include planks, leg lifts while lying or sitting, stomach crunches and supermans. Planks should be held for only 30-45 seconds and repeated one or two times. They can be done with leg and arm lifts and performed on the side to make them more difficult while working more muscles.

Using a balance board or balance cushion can add even more of a challenge, and these portable boards and can be found for $20-50. Rubber tubing can also be used for strengthening, and anchoring it in a door allows a number of exercises for the arms, trunk, lower back and legs. Affordable rubber tubing for exercise with a variety of resistances, handgrips and door anchors with a carrying sack can be found on Amazon. Just doing balance exercises requires no equipment and works the core muscles too.

Finding Time To Exercise During Holidays Or Vacation

Maintaining general conditioning may be one of the easiest tasks while on vacation. Start walking and do some sightseeing. Walk to a restaurant or take a walk in the morning or evening. Explore the area where you are on foot and spend 30 minutes to an hour just walking every day. Google maps will even give you walking directions an estimated time of when you’ll arrive. If more ambitious, go for a run, go swimming or in many cities there are now inexpensive bike sharing services that allow one to explore the area and get some exercise.

Lastly, while on vacation, eat sensibly. Try to keep to a similar diet while traveling as you do while at home.  A high protein meal plan with fresh fruits, salads and vegetables will keep you from overeating. Keep the simple carbohydrates down like the bakery goods, pasta, potatoes and desserts. Avoid stuffing yourself at meals, eating late at night, and drinking lots of alcohol. It is okay to splurge somewhat, but if you do not overeat you definitely will feel better.