Advice For Couples On How To Stay Healthy And Rested Over The Festive Season

Jessica has endometriosis, and Chris is her partner. Together they find ways to manage the condition and support each other through its challenges. Below they discuss and share tips on how they navigate the festive season with endometriosis:

How does this busy time of year affect your endometriosis symptoms?

From Jessica: I’m really big on slowing down as winter comes, it’s been my routine for the past few years. As I’m freelance, I end up bulking all my work into November so I can take some time off come December, and that gets really stressful! I find when I’m stressed, my hormones begin to get unbalanced and symptoms like fatigue, PMS, brain fog, depression and anxiety kick in. Of course, if I leave that stress for too long, then I get pain too.

Also, it can be pretty stressful seeing everyone and trying to make everyone happy without getting burnt out. It’s hard to travel around and stay at different houses and still preserve the same self-care routine you had that supports you. For example, two years ago we stayed at my mum’s and slept in the living room, which is next to the kitchen. She stayed up banging around until 3am and was up again at 6am, I helped her until midnight, hoping it would encourage her to get to bed earlier, but it didn’t work! I was so tired the next morning that I woke up crying! I guess what helps is I do try to take a large chunk of time off so I can recover afterwards, but I would never put myself in that situation again - I’ll always go home if I can.

Then there’s the issue of food. Last year, I was really good with staying totally dairy and gluten free, but I still had too much sugar for my body and I felt pretty bad for it. I love comforting winter treats, so it’s about finding alternatives that work for me. This year I’ve vowed to go sugar free during December and I’ve already started experimenting with fun alternatives like monk fruit.

From Chris: Definitely the volume of things going on that has a big impact on Jess’ symptoms. There’s always Christmas meet-ups or concerts we want to go to, as well as both of ours birthdays and others in our family. The amount of things going on also means that our regular routine can be interrupted and going to bed at a reasonable hour can be hard, which has a knock on effect on Jess’ symptoms.

I also feel that the expectation from other people at this time of year, and sometimes not living up to that expectation (if Jess is feeling unwell) adds another level of stress to the situation which can increase symptoms like inflammation and fatigue.

What’s the best tips or advice you could give to other couples at this time of year?

From Jessica: Know what foods you can get away with eating in small quantities, and know which ones you can’t. Make dishes you can bring along that you can enjoy, so you’re not missing out or having to eat trigger foods. Also, stay true to your boundaries. If you need to go home and stay in your own bed, their offence is going to be more easily fixed than your pain and fatigue.

From Chris: It’s really important to be aware of the foods that trigger your partner, so you can both avoid them. It’s just as important for me to know as it is for Jess, so that I don’t bring food home or plan to go to restaurants where she is unable to eat. By knowing what these triggers are, if your partner has any, you can eliminate a host of opportunities for symptoms to get worse.