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November marks the start of holiday spirit and cheer! In planning for the season of goodwill, our team is sharing a few words on how you can go above and beyond demonstrating gratitude for your kidneys.
Easing Holiday Stress
The holidays bless us with opportunities to connect with family and friends, but they can also come with their fair share of stressors. Party planning, cooking preparations, and clean-up are no simple feats. Fortunately, there are several ways to go about stress management during the holiday season!
Some of our favorite ways to unwind during the festivities include after-dinner strolls and throwing a football around. Taking time to be active with the kids and playing yard games at the get-together helps everyone expend some energy and feel refreshed before carrying on with the evening.
Sustainable Holiday Health Recommendations
An interesting finding our team recalls is that patients are pretty consistent with their health routines, good and bad, throughout the year. While resolutions and holidays can be great motivators, they are not necessarily catalysts for change. The biggest change is spurned from habit-building, which comes over time and is more successful with a systematic approach conducive to achieving your kidney health goals!
Think of it like this: too much change at once can overwhelm the body regardless of the perceived positive impact. A better way to ensure your kidney health throughout the holidays and beyond is by setting S.M.A.R.T. goals as benchmarks are key to setting yourself up for success.
The biggest harm comes from the misconception of the “all or nothing” mentality. Some people feel like they can’t enjoy the holidays like they used to. Like they need to limit travel or completely avoid their favorite holiday treats. This is wildly false! Though you may need to adopt modification methods, your doctors can help you set a game plan for tackling them. Remember: CKD doesn’t mean you stop living your life!
Reflections on Gratitude and Wellness
The most significant blessing of the holiday season is recounting our gratitude for all that we have. Fostering a sense of gratitude can contribute to overall wellness for people battling chronic kidney conditions in many ways.
For one, mindfulness and positive mentalities aid in grounding our perspective of things we take for granted. For instance, living in a time when so much research is at the forefront of nephrology! Being grateful for modern medicine, treatments, and options for alleviating some of the struggles associated with CKD are all things we like to appreciate. But even more so, it’s important to be catered towards a positive mentality. Part of recovery is believing in taking care of yourself. This outlook is worth it and makes you want to keep going and stick with your care plans. For patients who lack hope, we find that they are less willing to engage in their treatments and receive a positive outcome.
Want to practice self-care and gratitude this season, but not sure where to start? Having a gratitude journal to keep up with your thoughts and feelings is a great first step. Another method is joining support groups where you can connect with others battling CKD – the NKF has some great resources for this! Finally, know that there are people out there going through the same thing you are! Using other's success stories as motivation and appreciating camaraderie within the community are powerful tools. We are fortunate to be living in the age of digital communication and social media, so even if you find it difficult to physically go out to seek connection and mindfulness, there are apps that you can use to help aid your practice of mindfulness as well as Facebook groups where you can find support!
As we approach the holiday season, know that your care team at ANC is here for you! We are incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful patient and provider community that genuinely cares about one another. If you find yourself looking for more support throughout your kidney journey, we’ve got your back!
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