Living with or caring for a child with eczema may change your holidays, but you can still have enjoyable and meaningful celebrations. Although eczema may make some holiday traditions challenging, it doesn't mean you can't enjoy connecting with friends and family during the holiday season. By communicating your limitations due to eczema, being flexible, and adjusting your expectations, you can help make sure the holidays are happy and memorable.
Communicate Your Needs
Let your loved ones know that connecting with them over the holidays is as important as ever to you, but your or your child's eczema is making it hard to plan as usual due to severe pain and itching. Stress can trigger eczema flares, so you need to put your family's needs first to protect your health.
Be Flexible
Instead of saying "no," say "yes" to something else. If a family tradition no longer works for you since you developed eczema, it may be time to suggest an update.
If it's just not possible to get together in one place this year, consider using a video chat service such as Skype, Zoom, or FaceTime to have a special holiday call on a smartphone or laptop. During a video chat, you can:
Adjust Your Expectations
Even without a chronic illness like eczema, holidays often come with high expectations that lead to disappointment and stress. Letting go of the illusion of a "perfect" holiday can help you keep expectations realistic and focus on what's most important about the holidays. For many people, that means connecting with loved ones, being thankful for what you have, and finding hope for the new year.
Here are some mindful tips from Johns Hopkins Medicine for adjusting holiday expectations:
During the holidays and year-round, the members of MyEczemaTeam are here for each other. Joining MyEczemaTeam means gaining a support group of thousands of others with eczema who understand exactly what you're going through.
Here are some conversations from MyEczemaTeam members about navigating the holiday season with eczema:
Have you found ways to celebrate the holidays despite eczema? Share in the comments below or post on MyEczemaTeam.
Don’t miss the latest news, tips and treatment options.
Privacy Policy
We'd love to hear from you! Please share your name and email to post and read comments.
You'll also get the latest articles directly to your inbox.