🎄 How to Handle Chronic Pain Flares During the Holidays (Without needing a 52-step routine)
The holidays come with glitter, cozy drinks, questionable fruitcakes, and… pain flares.
If you live with chronic pain, you already know that the “most wonderful time of the year” can quickly turn into the “most overwhelming time of the nervous system.”
So if your pain spikes the moment December rolls around, please know this:
You’re not broken. You’re not overreacting.
Your body is responding exactly as a very smart alarm system would.
Let’s break it down; with science, compassion, and a sprinkle of humour, because sometimes we need all three.
🧠 Why Pain Flares Happen During the Holidays
The modern understanding of pain goes way beyond “injury = pain.”
Pain is actually your brain’s protective alarm system, influenced by:
Your environment
Stress levels
Emotions
Sleep
Past experiences
Expectations
And yes… holiday chaos
Think of your brain like a smoke detector.
Sometimes it goes off because there’s a fire…
and sometimes it goes off because someone burnt the Pillsbury crescent rolls.
Here’s what the research tells us:
1. Stress increases pain sensitivity
Negative emotions and stress amplify pain processing pathways in the brain (Wiech & Tracey, 2009).
And the holidays? They’re basically an all-you-can-eat buffet of emotional overwhelm.
2. Sleep changes = more pain
Irregular sleep, late nights, or travel all increase pain intensity and lower pain tolerance (Haack et al., 2020).
3. Routine disruption throws the nervous system off
Your nervous system loves predictability.
During the holidays, predictability is replaced by “surprise!”
Your brain is not amused.
4. Sensory overload worsens pain
Noise, lights, crowds, cooking smells, 17 conversations happening at once…
Sensory overload = increased pain sensitivity (Harte et al., 2012).
5. Emotional pressure ramps up the alarm system
There’s so much pressure to “be okay” during the holidays.
Suppressing emotions or “pushing through” actually increases muscle tension and amplifies pain signals.
So yep — your pain flaring during the holidays has real, evidence-backed reasons, not “maybe I’m just dramatic” energy.
🎁 What You Can Do: The “How To” in Handling Holiday Pain Flares
So How do you handle pain flares during the holidays? well here are some research-backed methods you can start with.
✔️ 1. Start by naming what’s happening (yes, really)
Research shows that naming your emotional or physical experience actually reduces activity in the brain’s threat centres (Lieberman et al., 2007).
Try saying (silently or out loud):
“My alarm system is loud right now — but I’m safe.”
This interrupts the fear–pain loop before it spirals.
✔️ 2. Lengthen your exhale
Slow breathing with longer exhales activates your parasympathetic nervous system — the “calm down” mode.
Try:
4 seconds in → 6 seconds out
Do this for 60–90 seconds and thank me later.
📚 Slow breathing has been shown to reduce pain-related distress and emotional reactivity (Zautra et al., 2010).
✔️ 3. Change one thing in your environment
Not everything — just one thing:
• Dim lights
• Reduce noise
• Step outside for fresh air
• Warm up
• Cool down
• Put on something softer
Small sensory changes can lower pain sensitivity (Harte et al., 2012).
Think of it as adjusting the “threat dial.”
✔️ 4. Let go of one expectation
Ask yourself:
“What am I pressuring myself to do that my nervous system isn’t agreeing with?”
Your body is not required to perform holiday cheer on command.
One boundary can prevent a multi-day flare.
✔️ 5. Use your “Downshift Menu”
This is a list of quick tools that help your body feel safer:
Warm shower
Gentle stretch
5-4-3-2-1 grounding
A 7-minute lie-down
Warm drink
A weighted blanket
Quiet corner + deep breaths
Just choose one.
You don’t need to be a wellness superhero.
✔️ 6. Make a simple flare plan (your future self will thank you)
A flare plan reduces panic, reduces catastrophizing (Burns et al., 2015), and helps your brain shift into safety faster.
Breathe, choose one tool, and follow your written plan — even if you only do 20 percent of it.
🌿 Want Something That Makes This Even Easier?
I created a FREE Holiday Pain Flare Checklist + Mini Plan to guide you through flare-ups with calm, clarity, and compassion.
It includes:
✨ A quick 5-step flare checklist
✨ A customizable mini plan
✨ A calm toolbox or “stocking”
✨ Nervous-system–friendly tools
✨ Evidence-based strategies
✨ Easy holiday adaptations
Download it here:
🎉 Coming Soon: Reclaim Relief (Boxing Day Launch)
If you’ve been craving deeper support with chronic pain, pacing, nervous system regulation, and understanding pain without fear, keep an eye on your inbox.
Reclaim Relief, my 4-week chronic pain program, opens on December 26 with a special Boxing Day bonus.
But in the meantime don’t forget your Free Holiday Pain Flare Checklist and mini-plan!
📚 References (APA Style)
Burns, J. W., Morley, S., & Vlaeyen, J. W. S. (2015). Avoidance, endurance, and activity pacing in chronic pain: Do they influence outcomes? The Clinical Journal of Pain, 31(7), 611–618.
Haack, M., Simpson, N., Sethna, N., Kaur, S., & Mullington, J. (2020). Sleep deficiency and chronic pain: Potential underlying mechanisms. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 50, 101268.
Harte, S. E., Harris, R. E., & Clauw, D. J. (2012). The neurobiology of central sensitization. The Journal of Pain, 13(8), 801–813.
Lieberman, M. D., Eisenberger, N. I., Crockett, M. J., Tom, S. M., Pfeifer, J. H., & Way, B. M. (2007). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity. Psychological Science, 18(5), 421–428.
Melzack, R. (2001). Pain and the neuromatrix in the brain. Journal of Dental Education, 65(12), 1378–1382.
Moseley, G. L., & Butler, D. S. (2017). Explain Pain Supercharged. Noigroup Publications.
Nijs, J., Kosek, E., Van Oosterwijck, J., & Meeus, M. (2014). Dysfunctional endogenous analgesia in chronic pain. Pain Physician, 17(2), E139–E150.
Quartana, P. J., Campbell, C. M., & Edwards, R. R. (2009). Pain catastrophizing: A critical review. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 9(5), 745–758.
Wiech, K., & Tracey, I. (2009). The influence of negative emotions on pain. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 10(4), 283–294.
Zautra, A. J., Fasman, R., Davis, M. C., & Craig, A. D. (2010). Slow breathing and pain. Pain, 149(1), 12–18.