When it's Time for a Time Out
Holidays are hard.
I have been trying to work, keep my usual way of eating, stay consistent with exercise, and remain grounded while the holiday to-do list grows longer. Even with experience and tools, it can be exhausting.
Routines get disrupted. Indulgence is everywhere. Energy drops and patience gets tested. Even when you are doing your best, the season piles on stress and quietly pulls you away from the habits that usually help you stay steady. Add travel, social events, and someone’s “famous” holiday cookies, and willpower wears thin, especially when rheumatoid arthritis is part of the picture.
If no one has told you this yet, I will.
It is okay to take a time out.
This week’s newsletter is not about managing everything better. It is about permission to pause.
Here is what I want you to remember.
This season is temporary.
The goal right now is not perfection.
The goal is protection.
In this issue, I am sharing simple, realistic strategies to help you protect your energy, your joints, and your nervous system, without missing out on the joy of the season.
Hello and Welcome to The Joint
I’m Carrie Bryan, CRNA and RA Wellness Coach, and this is your weekly, science-backed guide to living with rheumatoid arthritis without letting it run your life.
Each week, you’ll get:
Nutrition — food & supplement strategies that reduce inflammation and support energy
Movement — realistic, low-impact routines you can maintain even on flare days
Mindset — practical tools to manage stress, fatigue, and decision overload
Research & News — short, relevant breakdowns of current RA studies
Community — insights and stories from others walking this path
Short. Practical. One small step at a time.
Nutrition: One Meal To Keep You Grounded
Most days, I eat using an 80/20 approach.
Eighty percent of the time, I eat in a way that supports my joints, energy, and immune system. Twenty percent of the time, I enjoy food simply because I love it.
The holidays make that balance much harder to maintain.
Food is everywhere. Sweets show up uninvited. Meals are unpredictable. Alcohol is more common. Decision fatigue is already high.
This is not the season for perfect eating. That usually backfires.
Instead, I take a time out from my normal eating habits and anchor my day with one supportive meal.
When a slip happens later, and it probably will, I already know I have supported my body at least once.
One supportive meal per day:
- Keeps habits intact
- Reduces the mental spiral
- Makes it easier to return to normal eating
Once you choose something indulgent, enjoy it. The stress of “I should not be eating this” often does more harm than the food itself. Guilt increases stress, and stress worsens inflammation.
The holidays do not ruin your health. Chronic patterns do.
Keep this in perspective as indulgences increase this season. Research shows that most people gain about one pound on average during the holidays, not the five or ten pounds it can feel like in January.
Here are three simple, repeatable meals you can use to anchor your day.
Pick one meal per day that supports your joints and energy. Keep it simple. Repeat it often.
Breakfast
Veggie Egg Scramble with Avocado
Protein, fiber, and healthy fats to stabilize energy.
- Eggs
- Vegetables
- Olive oil
- Avocado
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Lunch
Olive Oil Chicken and Roasted Veggie Bowl
Balanced, anti-inflammatory, and easy to prep ahead.
- Chicken
- Roasted vegetables
- Olive oil
- Lemon
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Dinner
Baked Salmon with Sweet Potatoes and Greens
Omega-3s to support joint health.
- Salmon
- Sweet potato
- Green vegetables
- Olive oil
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Alcohol: A Gentle Time Out Strategy
Alcohol use tends to creep up during the holidays. More gatherings, more celebrations, more opportunities to pour another drink.
Alcohol can increase inflammation and disrupt sleep. You do not have to eliminate it, but having a plan helps.
Try:
- Alternating drinks with sparkling water
- Deciding your limit before you arrive
- Swapping a fully loaded cocktail for a fun, festive mocktail
Deciding once removes the negotiation and makes choices easier.
Sparkling water, a splash of 100 percent cranberry juice, citrus, and fresh rosemary or mint. Festive, hydrating, and supportive.
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Your Weekly Nutrition Challenge:
Choose one foundational meal to eat every day this week.
It does not need to be different or exciting.
Let it be the meal that anchors your day when everything else feels off.
Notice how it affects your stress, your energy later in the day, and how easily you return to your normal routine afterward.
Movement: Keep the Habit, Drop the Pressure
Holiday schedules rarely support a regular exercise routine.
Travel days, family obligations, and social events make long workouts unrealistic. That does not mean movement disappears. It just means the goal changes.
During the holidays, I shift into movement maintenance mode.
My only goal is this:
Do some type of movement every day.
Even ten minutes counts.
Movement during this season does not need to look impressive or structured. It just needs to happen.
That might look like:
- A short walk after a meal
- Asking family or guests to walk with you
- Squats, push-ups, or lunges while waiting for coffee
- Walking through the airport
- Gentle stretching before bed
Consistency matters more than intensity right now. Maintenance mode protects momentum.
Your Weekly Movement Challenge:
Do some type of movement every day this week.
Not a workout or a class.
Just a reminder to your body that movement still belongs in your day.
The goal is not progress.
The goal is continuity.
Mindset: You Deserve a Time Out
Holiday stress adds up quietly.
Noise, crowds, expectations, conversations, disrupted sleep, and constant stimulation all tax your nervous system. When your nervous system becomes overwhelmed, pain sensitivity increases and energy drops.
This season requires more check-ins, not fewer.
Set a reminder on your phone at least once a day to pause and ask:
- How tense am I right now?
- Do I need to step away or slow down?
Taking a time out does not have to be dramatic or long. Small pauses are often enough to bring your system back into balance.
Sometimes a time out looks like:
- Stepping into a bathroom or closet for a few quiet minutes
- Sitting in your car before or after an event
- Leaving a gathering earlier than planned
- Building short, planned rest breaks into your day
You are not being rude.
You are regulating.
Simple Reset Techniques You Can Use Anywhere
Slow breathing: Inhale through your nose for four seconds. Exhale through your mouth for six seconds. Repeat for one to two minutes.
Sensory grounding: Notice five things you can see, four you can feel, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste.
Muscle release: Gently tense your shoulders for five seconds, then release. Repeat two to three times.
These techniques signal safety to your nervous system and help reduce the physiological stress response in the moment.
Your Weekly Mindset Challenge:
Choose one intentional pause each day this week.
Notice how much more present and grounded you feel when you give yourself permission to pause before overwhelm sets in.
Research and News: Time Outs Matter for Inflammation
Inflammation is rarely driven by one bad meal or one missed workout.
It is driven by cumulative stress that builds quietly over time:
- Repeated cortisol spikes
- Poor or disrupted sleep
- Continuous nervous system activation
- Mechanical stress on joints without recovery
When stress stays elevated, pain sensitivity increases, fatigue worsens, and flare risk rises.
Research on autonomic regulation and chronic inflammatory conditions shows that intentional recovery helps interrupt this cycle. Short rest periods reduce sympathetic nervous system over-activation. Lower stress hormone output supports immune regulation. Consistent recovery improves pain perception over time.
In other words, your body needs signals of safety just as much as it needs nutrition and movement.
Time outs are a clinical strategy for lowering total inflammatory load.
Building consistency into your daily routine signals safety to keep your stress levels in check.
Your Weekly Research-Backed Reset:
Choose one thing to keep consistent this week.
One breakfast, movement time, bedtime window, or evening wind-down habit.
Consistency reduces decision fatigue, stabilizes stress hormones, and lowers the overall load your body has to manage.
Small pauses, taken early, protect your energy.
Community
Reader Spotlight (Coming Soon!)
This space is for your stories.
Your Weekly Recap |
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- Anchor your day with one anti-inflammatory meal
- Move your body for at least ten minutes
- Check in with your nervous system daily
- Choose one thing to keep consistent
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If there are topics you want covered or feedback you want to share, hit reply. I read every message.
Read past issues HERE
