No. 4 | Healthy Holidays
Lessons from the boozy and sugary landscape of the holidays while on a journey to better health.
How does someone, who is on a journey toward better health, negotiate this period without sacrificing enjoyment or compromising health? The holidays present a plethora of health ‘obstacles’: alcohol, processed-sugary food, late nights, and family quarrels. Especially in the UK, these factors accumulate across a one-week period, from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day, where even on non-public holiday days, you’re likely to participate in social outings, vacations, leftovers, and office parties. Constantly striving for the best quality food, avoiding sugar and restricting calories can cause stress that is more physically detrimental than what’s actually ingested.
Frankly, my discipline over the holidays was subpar. Every morning between Christmas and New Year promised a day of discipline. I told myself of the mental fortitude I would employ to resist the chocolatey temptations of Lindors and leftover roast potatoes. It all went to shit. I socialized every night, succumbing to sugar, a takeaway or two - even a (now) rare cigarette.
If the holidays had occurred just three months ago, mental anguish would have set in just before the first festive meal: scanning ingredients, paranoia about additives and calories. The self-induced stress would cause me to binge and then emotionally explode - I wouldn’t be able to tell if the inevitable eczema flare came from the food or the stress. My learnings over the last few months, however, have taught me they most likely come from a combination of both, and sometimes solely from stress.
Dr Gabor Maté’s book, "When the Body Says No," inspired me to start dealing with the stress associated with my skin condition. It forced me to realize that I adopted a high-stress response the moment initial symptoms presented. From Day 1, I had to know what was wrong, I had to find a solution, my mind on overdrive, 24/7. The stress compounded to helplessness and repressed anger, and for the first time since this all began, I only recently started addressing this.
Overthinking is Under-feeling
Reflecting on my flare-ups throughout the year, I noticed inconsistent patterns. Some days I could eat dairy and wheat; other days, I would flare up hours after consumption of the same foods. On holidays, my skin would heal quickly, and I could eat whatever I wanted, expecting a flare-up, only for it to never arrive. Sometimes I would flare up for no reason, or so I thought, then recalling significant life events occurring around those times. Stress increases your inflammatory hormones. Cortisol is deployed to reduce inflammation. Excess stress leads to chronic inflammation and deregulation of cortisol release. The hormone disruptions associated with long-term stress can lead to cancer, motor neurone diseases, autoimmune, and cardiovascular disease. The mind and the body aren’t symbiotic, they are one.
In the last few months, I’ve started therapy, yoga, and attempted to ground (being barefoot on earth) every day. Moving away from hours of research and becoming an expert in my own condition, my aim is no longer solely ridding my skin issues, but living an exceptionally healthy life in all areas and accepting my current ailment for what it is: managing the stress associated with flare-ups and learning to manage the anxiety around enjoying special meals and experiences.
This Christmas and New Year, I did flare up. Quite badly. But it’s less painful (mentally) than before. Acknowledging my stress has allowed me to shed some of the self-inflicted burden of illness. I will get through this flare-up. And the next one. And the next one after that. I can still achieve what I want to achieve. The journey to health is two steps forward and one step back. Healing reveals your deepest flaws and most negative habits.
Health does not equate to year-round nutritional and physical perfection. True health is the ability to enjoy the ‘cheat meals,’ purge stress, release emotion, and maintain a body that allows you to move and experience the life that you want.
Embed yourself in the holidays. A bit of sugar won’t make you fat. A few late nights can be made up for. A couple of drinks can reduce stress (in moderation - if that works for you). Sing songs, dance, laugh. Make friends and build deeper connections. Let go.
As an ode to the holidays - there’s no hero or villain this week. The holidays are a time to indulge.
Books
When the Body Says No, Gabor Maté: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=when+the+body+says+no&hvadid=616931300056&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9031296&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=763661158589988316&hvtargid=kwd-345890765&hydadcr=24633_13611805&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_1ckpc3lifw_e
Studies
Stress and Illness https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3341916/
Stress and inflammation https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5476783/#:~:text=Stress%20may%20activate%20through%20SNS,promote%20or%20accelerate%20CVD%20development
Benefits of grounding https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10105021/#:~:text=Other%20research%20over%20the%20last,viscosity%20%5B9%2C10%5D