AVOIDING HOLIDAY STRESS

Every year, we know that every time the year-end comes (or during the holiday season for Christians), are the food parties everywhere.  Parties like thanksgiving, sharing of blessings, get-together and reunions are just perfect to celebrate during this season, aside from birthdays and anniversaries.  Basically it is foods, foods, and foods everywhere.  Families and friends gather themselves in one place – in dining room or eating room to share the foods.  It is but the time of the year we indulge ourselves in delicious foods and drinks.  It is really so nice to attend celebrations or we can say to eat specially in this season.  This occasion and other social gatherings during the holiday season always offer opportunities to become overindulgent that even the most disciplined will struggle with the temptations.  Ham, edam cheese, roasted Turkey, whole roasted pig cooked over charcoal (lechon), pasta, noodle dish, prawn, lobster, crab, fruitcakes, pie, chocolate fudge, salads, morcon, mechado, caldereta, champagne, and the result, holiday stress.

In this season, let’s expect the left and right invitation to join in different and more parties.  We have our own celebration in our home with our family.  In our company we may have one with our group, another with unit, division or department, or maybe one with the branch and one with the head office.  We may still have with our selected colleagues and closed friends.  Aside from these, there are birthdays and anniversaries that we might attend too, and if you may still have belonged to a certain group of your extracurricular activities.  This just shows how open and wide your choices to attend parties and clearly it show the foods everywhere.  This is exactly the main reason why you need to control yourself to take care your health.  How many Decembers have we already went through?  More or less we knew then that during in this season is there are really food celebrations.  As part of our fellowship, human relationships, and social interrelation, let’s attend some but we should choose what those are worth to go, what are those we should say sorry and what are those should ignore.  The truth is we do not need them all.  If we will go to all these, don’t you think that you are just becoming luxurious and voluptuous or maybe it just a reflection of your obsession in foods?

Many people are just using the holiday season in excusing themselves from their extreme interest in foods.  This kind of people are most likely eating variety of kinds of foods as usual whether with or without occasion.  To eat meat of beef, chicken (or pork if it’s your choice) every weekend and much more with the kind of foods during this season is no longer practical and not appropriate to your health.  Holiday seasons serve extra scoop of high-fat, sweets and salty foods that lead to high blood pressure or hypertension and weight gain.  Let’s admit, holiday foods are oily, fatty, sweets and salty which are not good to your health.  And after all these, you will notice many of those people who pushed so hard themselves to overjoyed, indulge, and relish of foods will cry complaining illness, and then followed by the famous New Year’s resolution to control their eating and lose weight.

Make a plan, plan your eating.  If you cannot stay away from attending them, choose to eat less at the event.  But if you can make reservation for yourself, do not risk yourself to any further extent by reducing and selecting the parties.  You know there will be more foods during the season so hold back yourself.

By Alex V. Villamayor

January 6, 2016