Have a Mold-Free Holiday by Managing Stress and Environmental Triggers

During this season of food, festivities, decorations, family time, and gift-giving, it is important for those navigating mold and environmental illness to find practical ways to steer away from symptom triggers, added stress, and anxiety while not feeling isolated and left out of the holiday cheer. Easier said than done, I know. There are expectations, things you want to do, people you want to see, but giving yourself permission to safeguard your health is vital to your recovery. If you read no further in this post, please read this: It takes a lot of effort to regain and maintain your health after mold—ongoing mold avoidance and mold hygiene just scratch the surface. Tossing all of your hard work by the wayside during the holidays doesn’t bring freedom, unfortunately. In fact, it can create additional stress on both your mind and body. This does not mean that you can’t enjoy the holidays, though! You CAN enjoy the holidays like you used to—before the mold—I promise. You just have to identify your holiday symptom triggers, open your mind, and embark upon some mold-specific preparation.

Before I break things down and give you what I am calling my “Holiday Hacks for Moldies,” I want you to know that I totally understand and can relate to wherever you are in your healing process and journey with mold. When you have been debilitated and hit hard by mold, NOTHING and I mean NOTHING seems straightforward or easy anymore. Further, NOWHERE, and I mean NOWHERE feels safe anymore either. Just going to a holiday party, or having relatives and friends come to visit are not the routine, seasonal occurrences that they used to be. Those events become quite loaded and stressful, because you don’t know what you are walking into, or what people are bringing in with them on their clothing and things. Sometimes, the littlest things can send your body reeling from a “mold hit”. These uncertainties can make the holidays feel twice as hard in terms of maintaining your health. Then, there is the added pressure during the holidays to be as “normal” as possible, so as not to let anyone down. Parents especially want to “do all of the holiday things”, so that their children don’t feel weird or left out. Whatever your case or situation, you don’t have to get sick again every holiday season and experience setbacks in your mental fortitude about ever being “normal” again. The madness can stop, and I want to help.