Remind me who had the great idea of taking on Blogmas while also moving house? Oh yeah, that was me. You might have noticed that yesterday I didn’t post – oops! But I’m still determined to do 24 blog posts, even if they don’t go out on time. In 2020 I think there’s some wiggle room.

The fact that I’m posting this a day late is literally down to the fact that my Fibromyalgia royally screwed me over yesterday and I crashed. For the past few days no matter what I do I’m exhausted, fatigue is kicking my arse more than just a little bit – so, I actually need to take my own advice.

Try and plan in rest breaks

I *try* and plan a rest where I can, even if it’s an hours recharge nap, any bit of rest helps.

Keep yourself warm

For myself and most of my Spoonie friends, the cold makes symptoms worse. So, making sure you stay warm will help. Personally, I find layers the most effective because I can strip off if I find myself getting too warm (not like that, cheeky!).

Some other ways to stay warm include little heated pads to put in your pockets, hot water bottles, heated blankets, adding draft excluders to the house etc.

Ask yourself, do you really NEED to do the thing?

I know I usually push myself too far, normally it’s so I don’t feel like I’ve let people down. So, listen to the idiot that I am – ask yourself if it needs to be done. Does my flat need to look like a Christmas wonderland when we’re moving 2 weeks before the big day? No. Do I need to do a virtual meet up with friends every evening even though I’m knackered? No.

No is a magical word.

Set your own boundaries

Especially important this year is setting boundaries and they will be pushed. Know what you’re limit is and what you’re comfortable with. With the pandemic causing a lot of Spoonies to isolate or lockdown more than others know that it’s ok to set firm boundaries and stick to them.

Be compassionate to yourself

While in therapy this year, this has been one of the things that I’ve been working on the most. My inner critic is harsher than any person I’ve met in real life. I also hate admitting I can’t do certain things sometimes because of my disability.

So, I’ve been working on being more compassionate to myself and acknowledging that I’m doing the best I can do right now.

Ask for and accept help

I want to be as independent as possible, but that isn’t always how life works. This Christmas was always going to be one where I needed to ask for help (I was supposed to be getting married in a few weeks but it’s been postponed, thanks ‘rona). So when people ask if they can do anything I’m saying yes because, honestly, I’m exhausted right now.

What are some of your tips for fellow Spoonies? Let me know in the comments below.