Holiday stress can be dangerous for people with neurodegenerative disease. Holiday festivities are full of sights, sounds, and smells that can cause head pain in ‘normal’ folks! Not to mention the social toll that gatherings take on our brains. Did someone order a platter of neuro fatigue? Although there will always be the person in the crowd who swears that they understand, we know that they don’t and we are grateful for that! Here, we will share our favorite tips for escaping the stress that can easily send us back to bed.

Under Commit! Holiday Stress Can Gobble Up Your Energy!

Let’s face it, people get excited about the holidays. Folks want to invite you to their party, and insist that you come. If this is your first holiday season with HOD, you may not know yet that it is acceptable to tell Uncle Jerry that you will try to make it to his Thanksgiving feast, but you can’t make promises. We have found that people will adapt to your needs when they have more experience with them. Holiday stress can put HOD Heroes in bed for the entire season if we don’t manage our energy properly. Our advice? Pick the top three must-attend events, and reserve your energy. If you can do more, great! Try to remember that anything outside of normal routine will eat up your energy, and plan accordingly.

Know Where The Escape Rooms Are!

Your cousin Griselda waits for you to arrive every year. Once she sees you, she makes a beeline to you and corners you all night long. Griselda doesn’t understand that her constant companionship is the exact opposite of helpful. Having a conversation with your host or hostess may help tremendously in these situations. They can keep an eye on Griselda and distract her while you escape to the guest room for some quiet time. No, this is not rude! This is you protecting your peace and allowing yourself the opportunity to enjoy the party. We aren’t suggesting that you tell your cousin to take a hike. We are telling you that you have allies that are more than willing to jump in and help to ensure that you aren’t monopolized.

Go In With A Plan

If you have HOD, chances are that you are attending events with a trusted care partner in tow. It’s important to have a plan going in. Perhaps you are well aware that your social battery can last for about 30 minutes. Discuss the plan of exit in advance so there is no confusion. If you are ready to leave, but your ride wants to stay and play checkers with your nephew, they will know in advance that you aren’t able to handle another hour. Perhaps a code word or phrase is in order. We have always been partial to “The Black Crow Flies At Midnight”.

Give Up The Guilt

People will understand your limitations by and large, so long as you verbalize your needs in advance. If Mom wants to guilt you because you are unable to ride in a car for hours to go to her house, then that is her problem. Do not let it be your problem. No one quite understand how difficult travel in a car is better than the HOD Heroes. Just because Aunt Judy, who you haven’t heard from in 25 years, buys you a gift this year doesn’t mean that you must reciprocate. Are we advising you to throw Emily Post’s etiquette advice out the window? Yes. Yes we are. Protecting yourself from holiday stress is of the utmost importance!

As A Matter Of Fact, Yes, It IS All About You!

Often, well meaning friends and family attempt to layer shame upon us to get us to do what they want us to do. It will serve you well to become impervious to this behavior. We have seen stress accelerate disease progression, so we strongly recommend avoiding it. You need not be concerned with how you will be perceived by creating boundaries to protect your health and well-being. As the old saying goes, “People that mind don’t matter, and people that matter don’t mind.” We at HODA wish you the absolute best and stress-free holiday season. You deserve to enjoy it on your terms!

Your Turn!

How have you adapted your holiday celebrations to become more HOD friendly? What are your hot tips to make this season more enjoyable for all? Tell us in the comments!