If I've heard it once this holiday season, I've heard it a thousand times - "Well, this Christmas certainly won't be anything like it was last year! From recession and job losses to uncertainty with pensions, how am I supposed to enjoy Christmas?"
My answer to that - enjoy it in a way that you never have before. Never has there been a greater opportunity to get the creative juices flowing, to make lifestyle changes and to change the ruts that we nostalgically call ‘traditions’. We over-spend, over-indulge, and over-rate the outcome of what is meant to be a celebration of life. Regardless of faith or affiliation, the holiday season in December is a great time to show those that we love how much we care - not simply by purchasing a meaningless neck-tie or pair of socks, but by taking the time and making the effort to say "I care about you".
I guarantee there is not a grandparent around who wouldn’t rather open a store-bought gift than spend a meaningful afternoon with the grandkids, baking something or colouring lovely pictures to hang on the fridge. I also suspect that there is no wife or girlfriend who wouldn't squeal with delight at the thoughts of stealing away for a single romantic night while friends or family watched the kids. If you have a good friend or family member who could really use a relaxing gift, why not make a voucher for a few nights of babysitting rather than spending money on a hamper of bath salts and mud masks?
I am all for supporting the economy, but when times are tight, it pays to use the mind a little more than the wallet. Why is this important? Because the self-inflicted stress that can be created by the pressure to give, give, give can land people in misery and pain - when it could all be avoided. The amount of people who come in to my office due to the running and racing and over-eating and drinking is phenomenal. In the effort to please everyone at the expense of themselves, many of my patients end up collapsing just before, right in the middle of, or just after the holidays.
"Ha, ha, ha it happens every year!" they laugh, while struggling through the pain.
"Remember Doc, this has happened the last three years in a row!" Hmmm.......
This year I encourage you all to create new traditions. Look after your health and well-being instead of waiting to collapse "just because you have in the past". Add a few extra bottles of water a day and stay hydrated. Have your alignment checked before you feel the back ache. Eat a sensible breakfast and lunch on the day you are going out for a big evening celebration. Have your children handmake your Christmas cards for the special people in your life. Bake a gift instead of buying one. If there are too many people on your list to visit, pick up the phone and have a chat instead.
Be creative, use your head and your heart, and keep stress levels at a minimum by staying focused on all that is right in your life this holiday season. 'Tis the season to make new traditions; simple changes that put the joy back into the holiday season. Be creative, use preventative thinking in regards to your health, and start the New Year happy, well, and with a little extra change in your pocket instead of stressed, sick, and broke!
Dr Mary Helen Hensley, Athlone Chiropractic Care. Tel (090 ) 6476277.
