Thanksgiving & Lupus

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Thanksgiving can be a rough holiday for many Lupus fighters.  Many of us enjoy cooking a big feast for our families and as with everything, Lupus can make that hard.  Below are a few tips that may help.

Keep a chair in the kitchen.  One on wheels is especially helpful.  Being able to sit down to do cooking and cleaning tasks greatly reduces the energy used therefore allowing you to do more tasks.

Ask for help.  Enlist your spouse, children, friends or family.  Even a little bit of help goes a long way.

Take breaks often.  Sit down and relax for at least 5 minutes, at least every half hour.  This can really recharge your batteries.

Sleep in.  Ask somebody else to put in the turkey at 6am so that you get plenty of rest and you feel good the whole day.

Prepare for a long day the day before and the day after.  Get extra rest on Wednesday.  Don't make plans for Friday incase you need more rest.

Go out to eat.  If you are just not up to cooking, do not feel bad about going out.  There are restaurants open and many have special holiday menus.

Avoid trigger foods.  We tend to "go crazy" on Thanksgiving, but a flare is just not worth it.  Eating more of the proteins, fruits and veggies than the sweet desserts and heavy starches can give you more energy to last the whole day. 

Thanksgiving is also a good time to reflect on the good things in your life.  Sometimes Lupus gets us down and feeling like we have nothing to smile about, but there is always something to be thankful for!  Our families, our friends, our skills and talents, our homes, our jobs, our memories, our experiences, the health we do have, there is always somebody worse off than us.  Gratitude is a great weapon against depression!

Thanksgiving is a time we gather together with our families and friends.  That is always an opportunity to educate them about Lupus, the need for Lupus Awareness and Research.  Maybe somebody would be interested in donating to or volunteering for a Lupus charity.