Surviving Christmas - just a state of mind?

by Patrick Astill

Yes, it’s the season to be jolly, but it’s also a time when stresses and ailments can take their toll.

Why not give a thought to surviving winter and the festivities, as we ask some experts how you can alleviate those pressures for yourself.

The first step, of course, is to accept that Christmas time will bring additional stresses.

That means that you’ll have to work harder to keep the normal things going and acknowledge from the outset that your current lack of routine – being off work, having lots of visitors and so on - might be unhelpful.

There’s always the danger at Christmas that you try to spread yourself too thinly and aim to please everyone.

The message here, quite simply, is “don’t do it!”.

You should take control of your own destiny. It’s not rude to decline an invitation – after all, you can’t be everywhere at once.

And don't be afraid to say how YOU want to spend Christmas. You’ll be unhappy if everyone else decides what you should do, and when. You are entitled to change things and there's no need to feel guilty or be apologetic.

Try to factor in a day off from full-on socialising or entertaining. You owe it to yourself.

Lincoln-based life coach Philip Underwood said: “You can learn to say no and not feel guilty.

“First of all, you acknowledge the request on your time by saying how nice it was of them to ask.

“Then decline. Say something like, unfortunately I’m not going to be able to do this.

“Then the important part – give a reason. This is where you have to get creative, but it could be something as simple as saying ‘I’ve already committed that time to be with my family’.

“Last of all, offer an alternative. By doing that it puts you in the driving seat.”

And it’s vital to work in some “me” time.

“Christmas is a time for the family but there’s got to be ‘me’ time built into that.

“We are individuals who are part of a family. When we spend so much time with other people we must find time to love ourselves too.

“After all, it is a holiday and time to relax and reflect.”

* TOP TIP: Help preserve calm at tense family gatherings by drawing up a
list of the sensitive topics which are 'banned' (such as politics or
another branch of the family), and agree a present limit to avoid
competition over giving. You may be surprised to find many relatives
feel the same as you do if you have the courage to raise the issue.

There’s a lot of temptation about to over indulge both in terms of food and alcohol.

There's really no need to hoover up everything in sight when you sit down to eat. By making eating a conscious process you'll be in control of the food and let it know you are the boss. Feeling tired and stressed will make you more vulnerable to eating for comfort and drinking to relax which will result in depressing and unhealthy weight gain.

Nutritionist Louise Carder, who runs Lincoln Nutrition, said: “The simple answer is just to be a little bit more aware of what you are eating at this time of year, when it is easy to over-eat.

“A meal sized portion can be approximated by cupping your hands together in a fairly open fashion, your meal should be able to fit in that space.

“Turkey itself is not an unhealthy food, it is everything else that goes along with it, such as calorie laden puddings, alcohol and chocolate.

“Temptation is there, but if you are going to indulge just limit yourself to one mince pie not two.

“The average person puts on 5lbs over the festive period, so if you are going to eat a little more just be aware you will have to work harder in the new year to lose it again.

“Try not to eat for the sake of it. Thirst can often be mistaken for hunger, so have a glass of water and then decide if you really want something to eat.”

Unfortunately, skipping meals can also equal stress.

If you’re busy, relying on coffee and the odd snack means blood sugar drops and in response the body releases stress hormones, which make people feel even more panicky, irritable and anxious.

Women – in particular - juggling work, family and festive preparations often skip meals to save time, and hope it’ll keep them trim.

But that’s a bad idea.

Louise said: “Skipping meals is the worst thing you can do if you are trying to lose weight.

“Skipping meals on a regular basis can lead to problems with blood sugar levels, which can result in headaches, irritability and feeling faint.

“If your blood sugar is low then you tend to crave a quick sugary fix, which satisfies for only a short while before you need another one. It is like being on a sugar roller coaster, with the result being excess calories taken on board via unhealthy sugary foods.

“By not skipping meals you are making sure your blood sugar levels stay more stable and you can then choose the food you want to eat, including healthy options, rather than having short notice cravings that have to be satisfied immediately.”

You can also pace yourself with the booze.

Everyone knows that avoiding the hangover in the first place is by far the best remedy, and celebrity doc Hilary Jones agrees.

He suggests minimising the effects of alcohol by having food before you drink, choosing lower strength drinks like a spritzer (white wine and water), alternating a glass of water with an alcoholic drink and drinking several glasses of water before going to sleep.

If you do go out, and there’s lots to drink on offer, county advice group lincs2alcohol.co.uk suggests these tips to avoid binge drinking:
* Drink long drinks, such as shandy, as they take longer to drink.
* Put your drink down on the table rather than holding it in your hand
as you will drink slower.
* Try to alternate you alcoholic drinks with soft drinks.
* Limit the amount of time you are out. If you know you won’t be home
until late then go out later, are you really missing anything?
* Limit the amount of money you have on you and leave your bank card at
home!
* Sip drinks rather than gulping!

You might need to get firm in refusing alcohol if you start to feel as though you’re losing control, or worry about you actions.

If that’s the case, don’t hesitate to say no, look the person in the eye and ask them firmly to stop buying you drinks.

Don’t feel bad about refusing – the more practice you get, the easier it will become and the less people will ask you about having an alcoholic drink.

If you do succumb, a traditional natural remedy you might try would be Nux Vomica, available from Boots and other health food shops, good for a hangover, nausea, vomiting and constipation.

Jo Smith, healthy lifestyles team leader at the city council, said: “Food Standards Agency advice is that the two main features of a healthy diet are to eat the right amount of food for how active you are and to eat a range of foods to make sure you get a balanced diet.

“This can still be done over Christmas with a little thought. Think about mixing lots of fruit and vegetables with starchy foods like wholemeal bread and protein like meat and fish, and try to keep control of your portion sizes.

“Try to exercise over Christmas too. A Boxing Day walk is a big favourite for working off some of the excesses from Christmas day.

“Our Healthy Lifestyle Team is here to support people in making healthy lifestyle choices. To find out what the Healthy Lifestyles Team can do for you, call 01522 873581 or text CHANGE to 64446.”

You can minimise the risk of a bad cold or flu over the festive period by taking time to plan ahead – without having to trouble your family doctor.

Homeopath and health counsellor Annie Hall, who has a clinic in Lincoln, said: “One of the problems with both colds and flu is that you may well need to change the homeopathic remedy daily.

“While aconite may well help at first, then you may well need pulsatilla or gelsemium if you have full-blown flu, where you can’t move and have heavy limbs.

“It can be done homeopathically, which is what people used long before antibiotics became available.”

She also provides a helpful definition of flu, distinguishing it from a cold or even the notorious ‘man-flu’.

“It’s when you are in bed and ill, no one really knows how ill you are,” she said.

“And even if there was a £50 note floating at the end of your bed, you are far to ill to stretch out and catch it.

“Anything else is a bad cold. If you have that sort of proper flu then stay away from colleagues, they may well not be as fit as they should be and will not thank you for spreading it.”

* TOP TIP: When you’re out wear a woolly scarf and cover up your nose as well as your neck. The nose is the first line of defence against winter germs which cause sore throats and colds, but cold temperatures make the small hairs in our noses, and lungs, which help get rid of mucus and particles, less efficient.

Maybe, just maybe, surviving Christmas is a state of mind.

Be proactive.

As health counsellor Annie Hall, who also has clinics in Stamford and Louth says: “I have a bee in my bonnet about preventative care, so striving for personal happiness so one can share it with others has always been at the top of my list.

“I try to practice what I preach so I walk with my dog, help to look after the grand children, go to a concert, have a good yatter with a friend, read a borrowed good book, learn another tricky Scottish Country Dance, and volunteer with the Stamford Orchard Group.

“All these help to keep me happy. Yes I think I tick most of the boxes, do you?”

* TOP TIP: If you’re missing out on regular exercise, and can't get out for a run or a brisk walk, run up and down stairs several times in the morning and evening. Use water bottles as hand weights, lifting them in spare moments - such as waiting for a phone call or the kettle to boil - to tone upper arms. a walk, or a snowball fight, or get busy with wii fit can help!

First published in the Lincolnshire Echo.