Congratulations on (almost) getting through 2020!

Notoriously at this time of year, we note consistently that people get sore for no real reason- almost as if they “fall apart”. We wanted to give a quick few reasons as to why this happens, what it means, and how to limit your symptoms so you can enjoy your break!

Why am I generally sorer for no real reason!?

Firstly, there is a lovely little thing called the General Adaptation Syndromehttps://www.healthline.com/health/general-adaptation-syndrome#definition. It’s basically how we react and recover from prolonged stress! It’s the reason why all the kids get sick the day after their last exam, the body has been pushing, and coping and surviving and resisting for the whole year and it’s puffed! The minute we reach the finish line, our body collapses and says “Phew!- thank goodness that’s over!” All the time our body is doing a wonderful job of looking after little compensatory patterns that are going on with our body. When we collapse, sometimes our compensatory patterns have a little rest too! Cue grumbly lower back for a few days!
Note: This year’s events have absolutely upped the ante on our definitions of “prolonged stress”. Add to that a Christmas where you’re not really in a celebratory mood, and potentially your Christmas table isn’t the full complement due to interstate travel restrictions add some pretty conflicting emotions to the game. Whilst psychology isn’t in our scope of practice, we’d strongly encourage you to find an opportunity to practice gratitude and focus on the things that have gone well this year, this month, this week, this Christmas lunch. If you’re really feeling low- seek a conversation with your friends, family, GP, counsellor or psychologist. It’s OK if this Christmas doesn’t have the same feeling of bright festivity to it.

Outside of this, all the factors we balance throughout the year to stay happy and well quickly get disrupted:

Your normal alcohol intake increases (increase inflammation in the body)
Your normal sugar intake increases (increase inflammation in the body)
Your normal exercise routine gets disrupted by catch ups, parties, end of school concerts.
You don’t get downtime – you're at catch ups, parties, and end of school concerts!
Stress increases! (All the of it!) Your body thinks you should be winding down- but actually you need to find one more gear to get Christmas done!

Everyone thinks they’re 15 again and fall off their kid’s skateboard, scooter, trampoline. (Don’t worry, we just touched the wooden table for all of you)

Basically, all the things that have kept you in some sort of balance or homeostasis over the year, are all being turned on their head! Stress, exhaustion, sugar, alcohol, decrease in exercise/ downtime, skateboards, good old corona-fatigue.

Top tips for managing pain over Christmas:

Don’t panic! All the above reasons are most likely contributing to your increase in pain, not so much that you’re really falling apart.
Limit your excess sugar intake (consider that extra Lindt ball?)
Limit your alcohol intake, or intersperse your drinks with a glass of water.
Continue to exercise as you would normally (bodies love exercise!). Walk, swim, try some yoga at home, hit the beach!
Flip the narrative of Christmas being hard work- simplify your lists and get excited for spending time with loved ones, however, that occurs.
If you’re really overwhelmed, the break is a great opportunity to introduce meditation into your routine (I know it sounds like one more thing to do, but I promise, it will make everything easier!) You will feel clearer and more in control of the madness! Read more about the awesome benefits of meditation from our osteopath, Emily Nelson: https://www.summitosteopathy.com.au/mindful-meditation . We like the Headspace App https://www.headspace.com/headspace-meditation-app and One Giant Mind App https://www.1giantmind.com/. Download them on your phone!
If you must skateboard- we understand- but helmets and wrist guards are really helpful.

Summit Osteopathy is closed from lunchtime on Christmas Eve to the 3rd of January. We’re back on the 4th of January to put you all back together again! If you’re feeling sore, by all means, get in contact with us at: info@summitosteopathy.com.au and we will do our best to guide you online.

Bookings here https://wagin-osteopathic-service.cliniko.com/bookings

Wishing you and your family and enjoyable and safe Festive season!

Well done on getting through a pretty weird year! You smashed it!

From the team at Summit Osteopathy