#ChronicChristmas Day 23: Sing




When is the last time you sang? I mean, really belted one out, disappearing into the music and the feeling, and not caring about the dogs howling in the neighbourhood, and the cracks appearing in your glasses?

OK, so maybe that last part doesn’t happen to everyone. Did I ever mention that my sister has attempted to limit my singing to the shower and Christmas?

I sing anyway.

Singing is good for you. It exercises your lungs, opens up your chest, and fills your heart and soul. What better time to get started then this time of year, when beautiful carols are everywhere? They are contagious, making you a hum along in the grocery store, on the street, and yes, even in the shower.

Yield to the irresistible power of song this season. Don’t just hum along, sing along. You know most of these carols by heart from years of repetition, likely whether you celebrate Christmas or not. They connect us to the spiritual side of this time of year, and it works beautifully no matter what religion you practice.

And don’t just sing by yourself, in the car, or at home. Sing with others. Is there a group of neighbours that go caroling in the last few days before Christmas? Bundle up and join them. Go to church and sing with everyone else in the congregation. If you’re stuck at home, find an album with choral Christmas music — the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is my favourite – crank it, and sing along as loud as you can.

What’s your favourite Christmas carol? This is one of mine.




#ChronicChristmas is an Advent calendar of tips for a sane holiday season with a chronic illness. Check back tomorrow for the next tip. To see all the posts in the series, click the #ChronicChristmas label below this post.
 

Comments

Rose said…
So sorry I haven't commented in a long time. Love this series! Merry Christmas to you and your family!!
12:30 PM
Susan Burns said…
Thanks for doing this series. I've really enjoyed your posts. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!
3:21 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Farber’s Disease: Could Your Child’s Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Be Misdiagnosed?

Image
Joint inflammation or contractures. Nodules (small lumps under the skin or in other tissues). A weakened or hoarse voice. Children with these symptoms may have been diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) or other types of juvenile arthritis . But do they actually have JIA or do they have Farber’s disease? An equine digression When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras. This is an adage in the medical world that encourages doctors to not wander off exploring rare and esoteric reasons for a patient’s symptoms. Because most of the time, that hoof beat of a rash likely isn’t the plague, the joint pain more likely a type of arthritis than the bends (especially if the person has never scuba dived) and you get the picture. But once in a while, it actually is a zebra. And even if it’s first identified as a horse, eventually, the stripes come through. It took five years of my parents running around to different doctors before one finally recognized that I had...
Read more

13 Things to Know for Rheumatoid Arthritis Newbies + Facebook Live

Image
Getting a diagnosis of any type of chronic illness can throw you for loop. There is so much to know and you have so little energy. My new slideshow for HealthCentral collects 13 things you need to know as an RA newbie : "Receiving a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a moment of strange duality. On one hand, you may be relieved to finally have answers for the symptoms you’ve been experiencing. On the other, it can be incredibly overwhelming to find out you have a chronic illness. Wrapping your head around all the new factors RA brings into your life is a long-term process. Here are some of the things you need to know." See the slideshow on HealthCentral . And in case you missed it, here is the Facebook Live I did yesterday talking about this topic:   
Read more