Maintaining Wellness During Thanksgiving and the Holidays! - Step #1: Identification

We all bemoan the holiday pitfalls, but love the holidays—at least some aspects of them. October (!) marks the start of a love-hate relationship with articles, blogs, and TV spotlights addressing topics such not over indulging but still enjoying, managing stress during the holidays, remaining active despite other obligations, etc. The holidays bring us more social occasions, Thanksgiving feasts, office snacks, less motivation to work out, time compressed days, less sleep, more drinking & so on. And we’re supposed to indulge in all of it, right? Wellness seems to be highlighted during the holidays almost more than it is during Spring Break. It’s another way to diversify the already over-saturated commercialized market by attracting another niche group: those who know the implications of the holidays on their health. However, wellness should be a yearlong, sustainable process. Daily actions. Incremental changes. Manageable plans and goals. When thinking about maintaining wellness, try not to stress out or think about avoiding party snacks, happy hours, holiday parties, family dinners, the stress of rushing, shopping, and being “ON” 24/7? Who said you had to turn into a super-human, overly generous, overly participatory, and overly achieving individual from just past Halloween to beyond New Year’s Eve? You can still indulge, stick to same activities/routine, have balance, and give into temptations without resenting the results.

To address the stages to maintaining wellness, let’s review the areas of the Thanksgiving holiday that affect us most: the marathon of endurance eating (a.k.a Thanksgiving) and December holiday preparation.

Stage 1: Identifying the impediments to maintaining wellness

• Winter weather deters the motivation to exercise. It’s easier to hit “snooze” and stay in your warm bed!
• Daylight savings – That extra hour of sunlight in the morning is great but’s it’s tough at the end of the day. Who wants to be extremely active after work when the darkness ensues BEFORE we even leave the office? It’s easier to sip that juicy red or relaxing cocktail after work with friends in a cozy street lit bar.
• More sleep. We need it. It’s winter. We are animals. Animals hibernate. Accept it & plan accordingly.
• Encroaching social events – it’s wonderful to receive invites, but how many do we really need?Competition to be the “hostess with the mostess” for Thanksgiving. Or maybe we are hosting our parents for the first time with our own families – wanting to show Mom you can have thanksgiving just as respectably as she.
• Competition between families – whose family do we spend the holidays with this year? Both? Driving long distances, traffic, and then two meals. Unfortunately or fortunately, my husband isn’t American so I don’t have this problem but it is one that many of my friends bemoan. Feeling they have to eat their great aunts heavily laden potato dish – both great aunts from both sides along with grandma’s pie & the cousins new trendy fibrous, filling lentil dishes.
• Drink, eat, be merry – but who is merry when they feel the choice has been pre-determined and out of their control?
• Coworkers & vacation times – meaning work becomes more intense as everyone tries to finish year-end projects, juggle timelines for meetings between early departures, vacations etc. & complete what’s necessary to take the vacation everyone feels is deserved.
• Traffic – it seems everyone is on the road – regardless of whether they need to be there. Similar to Ikea on the weekend – does EVERYONE really want that Grundhal or Sonderhamn chair, foldable bin. Does everyone need to shop for that perfect gift, food item simultaneously?

These are just a few of the impediments and I’m sure there are more. The key is realizing these are impediments to maintaining your usual attitude about wellness and then to mitigate the damage caused to your mind, body & spirit.  It’s about maintenance, not trying to be something or someone you are not. Holidays & wellness is about enjoying and savoring what’s important to you. The simple, small pleasures. How?? Well we know step #1 identify & accept. Next, Step #2 – Choices.