Health & Wellbeing

Health & Wellbeing Familiar worries that pop up at Christmas

By Susie Carver, consulting hypnotherapist with Sea Change Hypnotherapy in Wimborne seachangehypno.com According to the song, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. And yet for all its tinsel and glitter, the festive season can bring an array of worries and stresses. If you are feeling the strain this Christmas you are not alone. I notice some familiar themes cropping up in my therapy room at this time of year.

Family Relationships Spending quality time with family is a welcome prospect for most of us. But for some, Christmas is a reminder of painful family memories, or perhaps the loss of a loved one. Loneliness and depression can set in. Sometimes, it may become intolerable to be in close proximity with relatives if relationships are strained. Anxiety, resentment and anger may rear their heads.

Financial Pressure Overspending is common at this time of year. There is a huge amount of pressure on us to deliver a picture-perfect Christmas celebration, and getting into debt is one way we can achieve this. Debt creates tensions within close relationships and people often harbour feelings of guilt and shame. Over-Indulging Christmas is the ultimate temptation, leading to excesses in eating and drinking. Afterwards we may feel guilt-ridden and lacking in strength as we notice the calories that have piled on. All the additional opportunities to socialise can result in us feeling tired and run-down, which in turn exacerbates any pre-existing mental health symptoms.

Overwhelm Christmas is a lot to deal with. As a mother I know that I am juggling shopping, wrapping gifts, writing cards, putting up decorations, social and school requests alongside all the usual household chores and my job. It’s enough to make anyone feel the strain, and can give rise to all sorts of unhealthy coping strategies. Social Anxiety The pressure to enjoy ourselves is enormous. But if parties and crowds and noise make you want to stay in bed and pull the covers over your head, then your experience of Christmas is likely to be far from enjoyable.

If you are under pressure this Christmas please remember to take time out for yourself. You cannot pour from an empty cup! Whether it’s making time for a relaxing bath, a walk in the fresh air or doing self-hypnosis or meditation, it will be time well spent and will allow you to come back feeling stronger. Tomorrow is another chance to start afresh. Set your intentions and emotions for the day when you first wake up, and let go of the need for perfectionism or people pleasing... you deserve an amazing Christmas too!

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Health & Wellbeing Aim for improvement, not perfection...

With Christmas coming up, there’s lots of food as well as some evenings out and socialising to do. At this time of year, our regular diet seems to go out the window. If this is something you find slightly stressful, here are some things I wish I’d known years ago about nutrition that I hope will help you enjoy the festive season. There is no such thing as ‘empty calories’. Food (and drink) gives us (in varying amounts) energy, nutrition and joy. Rather than thinking or describing food as ‘good or bad’ or ‘healthy/ unhealthy’, think of it in terms of the benefits we gain from food. Some foods will be more energy dense or nutrient dense. Sometimes the most joyous foods aren’t always the most nutritional but they are still valid foods to have in your diet. If they provide you with joy and energy, they’re not ‘empty’ at all. All your food should give you some joy! A balanced, healthy diet is one where we enjoy a wide variety of foods, prioritise nutritionally-dense foods (most of the time, when we can), fuel ourselves adequately (energy) and have a relaxed approach to enjoying food. There’s nothing worse than entertaining and accommodating fussy eaters, so unless you have a medical (or ethical) reason to eliminate foods, you can probably afford to relax a little. We don’t need strict rules around food; general guidelines are fine and

Katrina Keeling is a Wimborne based personal trainer. kkfitness.co.uk

Email: kkeelingfitness@ gmail.com variety is really important. For broad nutritional exposure – eat wide to eat well. Getting different things into our diet is good. Food should be enjoyed and a shared experience. Finally, you don’t need a new diet as you already have one... it’s what you currently eat. Sure, most likely you can improve it and that’s exactly what you should aim for rather than starting again. Improvement, not perfection is always the aim. Please bear this in mind come January. Worrying about having a healthy diet and stressing over food choices is, paradoxically, not good for our health. If you enjoy mince pies, please don’t feel guilty about eating them or anything else for that matter. I hope some of this makes Christmas a little less stressful for you. If we’re lucky enough to have food choices and food availability, we’re of course some of the lucky ones, so let’s try and enjoy this.

Improve happiness and volunteer in the New Year!

By Lorraine Gibson

newsdesk@stourandavon.net

New Year’s resolutions are easy to make but they can be so hard to keep. Even with the best intentions to improve your life and up your happiness levels, turning over a new leaf for the New Year can fall flat, so if you’re not in the mood for cutting out food or not cut out to run a marathon, why not do something you actually enjoy that could help you and others, too? According to Age UK Dorset, volunteering is a great way of improving your happiness and wellbeing by using your personal skills and interests to support people. The organisation, which covers East Dorset and other areas of the county, exists to promote the health and wellbeing of people in later life by providing useful services, identifying gaps in provision and by influencing policy and decision-makers. While they have 30 dedicated staff and more than 140 volunteers helping them deliver these services and activities they are currently in need of more helpers. From ‘Befrienders’, who can share their skills and knowledge with older people to help them live fuller lives and drivers to ferry them to day care and lunch clubs, to information providers and ‘Better Balance’ class assistants who can support low-impact exercise classes, there is something for almost everyone who’d like to help. If you can help, call 01202 530530 or visit www.ageuk. org.