At last, the long awaited holiday season is here again! Time for family and friends to get-together celebrating — with countless parties and soirees to attend, scrumptious food, desserts to savor and endless toasting of glasses — ahhhh.…it all sounds so decadent and merry! But the unfortunate truth is that the festive season can be one of the most stressful times of the year for many.
Not to mention that hospitals and clinics traditionally see more cases of accidents and ailments during the holiday season as well.
While this is a season to be jolly, most of us tend to be overwhelmed and frazzled by spending too much time rushing from store to store and waiting in long queues to buy presents, stressing about attending obligatory social events and trying to squeeze in as many visits to friends and relatives as humanly possible.
The hypervelocity and the hustle and bustle tend to upstage the feelings of love, gratitude, joy and merry-making resulting in arguments and added stress.
To make matters worst, the mental and physical strains could lead to other serious problems like binge eating and drinking, panic attacks, high blood pressure and much much more.
Be positive and creative
Fundamentally, adopting the right attitude can convert negative stress into positive energy. Remind yourself that this is a festive season and it is a time for you to relax and unwind with your loved ones.
If things don’t turn out as planned, don’t fuss over it. Instead, congratulate yourself for trying – perhaps it’s time to let go of some old festive traditions and start new ones.
Be creative. Christmas gifts and celebrations need not be expensive. Most of all, celebrate the fact that you are blessed with good health and are able to enjoy this precious moment with those that you care about.
And if you are planning for a vacation, bear in mind that the word means, “a period of time devoted to pleasure, rest and relaxation” and not, “ having the most expensive and perfect holiday, better than the one your best friend had”.
You don’t have to burn a hole in your pocket to have the perfect vacation. You could well be at home and have the best time of your life! They say the best things in life are free. You just need to stay positive and be creative!
Watch what you eat
The festive seasons normally bring lots of chocolates, cakes, greasy food and other sinful delicacies with high amounts of calories and fat. It’ll definitely be an uphill battle to resist all those mouthwatering treats.
A simple rule to follow would be to have a taste of the dishes that most appeal to you and do not overindulge. Excessive intake of high calorie and fatty foods will only decrease your energy and make you feel physically, mentally and emotionally sluggish.
If that is not good enough a reason for you to stay away from such unhealthy diets, here are a few more reasons to help convince you.
First of all, fatty foods will bloat you up and makes you gain weight. Imagine the discomfort and difficulty fitting into that perfect dress, suit, beachwear or lingerie you bought for your perfect vacation.
In the long run fatty foods will lead to obesity, which then can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems, the list goes on.
Secondly, fatty foods have low nutrients but high in cholesterol. Excessive consumption of fatty food means less space in your stomach for healthier items such as fruits and vegetables.
This means that your body is not getting enough of the vitamins and nutrients it needs. Without which your skin could become pallid, you will lose muscle mass and could become anemic.
In addition, high cholesterol food could result in fat buildup that can block the blood flow in your arteries leading to heart failure or causing a stroke. And of course, those who eat too much fatty food are also prone to gall stones and indigestion problems that can lead to colon cancer and numerous other problems. Need we say more?
Lower your alcohol intake
Alcohol is the biggest single cause of festive season illness. In the midst of merry-making, it is easy to lose ourselves and have a little too much to drink.
Just like drugs, alcohol is a depressant that slows down the body’s central nervous system. And depending on how much you drink, alcohol affects your senses; your speech, concentration, judgment, balance and coordination.
In addition, the stress of the holiday season could also heighten the effects of alcohol. Therefore, it is not surprising to know that the highest numbers of road accidents normally occur during festive seasons.
And 40 percent of all motor vehicle crashes are attributed to alcohol.
How much alcohol you need to drink before feeling the effects depends on various factors such as: your body size, your sex, how quickly you drink, your mood, the amount you have eaten, how much you normally drink and so on.
However, regardless of your sex, age and body size, the moderate alcohol consumption for most adults are considered to be no more than one drink a day or no more than seven drinks a week.
Having more than four drinks on any occasion or more than 14 drinks in a week can be considered as a health risk.
Alcohol has both short-term and long-term effects. In the short-term, too much alcohol causes drowsiness, loss of concentration and coordination skills and the ability to make clear judgments.
On the other hand, long-term heavy drinking can pose many health issues such as: liver damage (fatty liver, hepatitis and cirrhosis), heart disease, stomach ulcers, blood vessel disorders, impotence in men, menstrual irregularities in women and even some types of cancer.
Hence, it is important to remember to drink responsibly during the festive season so as not jeopardize your health and life.
To help limit your consumption, space your drinks an hour apart at least. Have something to eat prior to drinking, alternate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, do not be pressured into drinking and the most important of all, do not drink and drive.
Get plenty of sleep
The festive season not only brings lots of delectable food and drinks, but also invitations to parties and gatherings that can go on until the wee hours of the morning. The last thing you want to do is to deprive yourself from rest and good sleep because that would give you more stress than enjoyment.
©FlyFreeForHealth2009.
