Finding Health and Happiness over the Holidays

I was so excited about the Thanksgiving and Christmas that I half-jokingly, half not, asked my husband if we should get out the Christmas tree before Thanksgiving. I’m just really looking forward to some peace, gratitude and holiday cheer. I struggled during the past elections because the turmoil and negativity was hard for me to cope with for so many months. Now that it’s over, hopefully neighbors are speaking to each other again and friendly hello’s can be exchanged across political lines. Let’s use this holiday season to heal any open wounds.

Whether it’s Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas shopping, stress, excitement, anticipation, crowded stores, endless to-do-lists, parties and sometimes sadness and depression all seem to encompass the holidays. I was very impressed with writer Patty E. Fleener as she described some tips for “Surviving the Holidays.” First, if you are feeling lonely and depressed during the holidays, don’t put too much pressure on yourself to “pretend” to be happy. Be around people who accept you for who you are and help you to feel better. Second, exercise has shown to improve mood so find an activity or routine that gets you moving. Finally, limit your alcohol consumption, while it may give you a temporary shift in mood, generally you won’t feel better after consuming large amounts of alcohol.

Fleener also gives some tips for people who not only want to survive the holidays but enjoy them. She recommends, sitting down with your family (and extended family) and go over what everyone hopes to get out of the holiday season. Getting everyone’s expectations on the table can help you avoid hurt feelings and awkward moments. In addition, keep in mind the tradition of your family while possibly being open to new ideas and holiday experiences. Change may be an added memory to your holiday experience. Lastly, if you enjoy the cleaning, baking, and decorating-go for it. If you don’t and it stresses you out, just do what you can and head to the store for your baked goods. Not everything has to be homemade.

USA.gov also gives some tips on having a happy and healthy holiday season starting with a budget. Don’t start 2013 off in debt because you’ve gone overboard on 2012 Christmas shopping. Plan ahead so that doesn’t happen. Make sure you emonitor your portion control so that your 2013 New Year’s resolutions can be something other than losing the weight you just gained over the past two months. In order to save time and money, do some shopping online and lastly, give the gift of service. Find ways to help your friends, neighbors, and those who are in need of a little service and cheer in their life. It always feels good to give the gift of time and attention.