The Gift You'll Give Yourself this Christmas

Hello and welcome to Believe in ME with Rhona Barton. 

This podcast is about all things Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) related!

I'm Rhona and I lived with ME for almost 10 years during which time, I was bed-bound and wheelchair-bound, welcome to my Podcast.

Hello and welcome to Believe in ME with Rhona Barton. In this week’s episode I’m going to be chatting about the gift you’ll give yourself this Christmas. 

You can head to www.rhonabarton.co.uk/media for more information about me and my story.

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Ok, let’s jump straight in!

In last week’s episode, we spoke about planning for family gatherings and with Christmas fast approaching, I’ve been putting up my decorations, delivering Christmas presents and preparing for visitors arriving. Food has been ordered, pathways have been cleared of snow and Christmas tunes have been pulled together for a playlist.

How are you getting on with your Christmas plans? 

Have you finished your gift buying?

Got everything wrapped and delivered?

Have you made arrangements with any visitors to have them bring a dish for the meal or stay and clean up afterwards?

What would make this year’s celebrations ideal for you given your current circumstances?

Whilst I feel like I’m all organised, I’ve finally got time to stop to think about what I’m going to give myself for Christmas.

Have you done that yet?

Now, socks, pyjamas and chocolates are lovely and always welcome, but things haven’t been all smooth sailing this year. So, with that in mind, I’ve come up with a few things that I’m considering gifting myself with this year. 

Number 1 on my list is Rest! I keep reminding myself that I don’t have to do everything. Running around and burning myself out is not going to prove anything to myself or anyone else and it’s not needed. I intend to schedule rest time for myself not just over the festive period but into 2023. To that end, I have already put holiday time into my diary right up until July 2023! 

Kindness is next. I’ve spoken about this a few times and that’s because it’s important – it is for me anyway. Self-Compassion and Self Kindness is a gift that keeps on giving and, for that reason alone, I’m building more of this into the end of 2022 and into 2023. Whether that is accepting myself – flaws and all – practicing patience and extending niceties to others, taking breaks during my working day, eating well, exercising or prioritising my sleep schedule, I’ll be doing my best to keep on top of this one.

Embracing failure. Life doesn’t always go according to plan and, as frustrating as that can be, I’m going to try looking at these...