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Happy Christmas: the gift of health to yourself is the best gift

Well, it’s over: Christmas 2011 has come and gone; the debris of yesterday’s lunch sits in the fridge and from where I am sitting I can hear the TV in another room, where grown up “children” are sprawled engaging in a modern day Aussie ritual - watching the Boxing Day test match. And what memories and emotions do I have from these magical last few days? Well, it’s all about family and “Sharing the love” as our youngest once posted in capital letters on his bedroom door (at the time, many years ago, I was decidedly unloving when I found he had actually painted it on his door in acrylic paint!). Emotions play a major role in our lives and our emotional health is vital to our physical health, especially when it’s challenged with sickness or disease.

In medicine we have become very proficient at measuring “things”, and we have amazing technology that can not only look at each organ with Hi Tech scanners, but we can now watch individual immune cells move along the lining of blood vessels and creep out of them to areas where infection or inflammation threaten the body. These are truly ground-breaking times. But with all this clinical expertise, we have to remember that we mortals are human as well, and have feelings and emotions too.

If Christmas means nothing else, it is a time for strong emotional feelings: the joy and delight of watching a little child opening a present, or the giant hug of a grown up son come home after a long absence. But it can also mean the loneliness of those with no-one to care for, or to be cared for by: it can mean the emptiness felt by those grieving for partners who shared long lives, but who are no longer there, and it can be the desperation of the deeply depressed who are clinging to a thin thread of meaning in their lives.

“Happy Christmas: the gift of health to yourself is the best gift” may seem a bit selfish, but it is a vitally important gift too.

The “Happiness” we talk about at Christmas time is based on the birth of an innocent one, and innocence is something we should all still rejoice in because of its connection with gentleness, fragility, simplicity, purity and love. And we need to take time to reflect on this not only at Christmas but throughout the year. One of the problems with modern society is that we “don’t have time anymore” to relax: or when we do “relax” it tends to be a workout at the gym, or meeting others for coffee. Whilst these are great things to do, we still need time for...stillness: a time for quiet reflection to think about what we are doing, why we are doing it; and even the bigger questions such as “what is it all about” and “where is the meaning in my life”? You might not find out many of the answers, but we do need to take time to review and reflect on our lives. Science also tells us that if you take 15 minutes a day to quiet yourself and slow your breathing, if nothing else, you will also lower your blood pressure: so even if your head gets “nothing out of it”, you will be doing your heart a favour!

And Christmas is about gift giving. This year there seems to be an increase in the number of people creating their own gifts and making their own cards - putting a bit of “yourself” in the gift always makes them a lot more special. And it’s strange that the actual act of giving can make us feel so much better. But we also need to remember to gift ourselves with little nurturing acts - and that goes double for young Mums with active kids - such as making sure you make time for yourself each week for “little acts of kindness” to nurture your spirit. I am a strong believer that if the carer doesn’t care for themselves, then eventually something will go wrong or wear out, and then everyone is a loser: if we don’t invest in ourselves, we won’t be able to give 100% to those we love and care for.

The gift of health is something many of us take for granted .... until it goes wrong: but believe me, eventually something will go wrong for everyone, so it’s best to invest in your health. We have all read about what we should be doing:

• Be physically active for 30 minutes each day for five days a week
• Eat lots of fresh foods - especially veggies, fish and fruit - and cut out the fast foods and fats.
• With alcohol: savour the first drink, sip the second and skip the rest.
• Don’t smoke, or if you do, stop now.
• Cover up and slip slop slap.
• And add to that list, take 15 each day to unwind and be still.

As we say goodbye to Christmas for this year and start looking forward to 2012, let’s start focusing on trying to be the best possible “Me” in the New Year. Now that could well be the best gift you get this Christmas.

The content of these articles is not tailored for any particular individual's circumstances. The author does not take into account your physical condition, medical history or any medication you may be taking. Any advice or information provided by the author cannot replace the advice of your health care professional. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent those of HBF unless clearly indicated.