

Christmas Holidays are here and most of us are very excited to meet friends and family and enjoy the festive season with them. But have you ever experienced that your health is often overlooked during this time? You rarely get time to keep a track of what you are eating and how your mental health is affected.
With so many people around and an environment of fun chaos, it is difficult to focus on yourself and your well-being. If you don’t manage your health efficiently, these holidays might make you feel tired instead of refreshed. In this article, we will discuss common health issues faced by people during the Christmas holidays and how they can be prevented.
Common Health Issues During Christmas Holidays
What you eat is a treat to taste buds during the Christmas holiday season. Fried food, excessive meat, and alcohol take a toll on our health but we are too busy to notice that.
The delicious meals that you enjoyed during the holiday season might make your taste buds feel good but your body prefers nutrition over taste. The common health issues faced by people during the Christmas holidays are:
1. Overeating
The smell of delicacies attracts almost everyone during the festive season and it is very difficult to stop when you have the best of the foods served before you. This often leads to the problem of overheating. This easily increases weight, bloating, acidity, etc. If you are eating fried food, it is very common to experience acidity after having meals.
Continuous eating of heavy meals, especially at night can lead to a problem of acidity that will last for a long time even after the holiday season. This can cause problems and can be challenging to manage.
2. Overdrinking
A gathering of friends and family where everyone is having fun and cracking jokes often brings alcohol to the table. It makes the environment lighter and more fun. But when the festive season is on, overdrinking is observed and experienced very commonly. When you are surrounded by people having a fun time, it is difficult to find the disadvantages of drinking which makes it hard for you to stop. But overdrinking can lead to difficulty indigestion, dehydration, and headaches.
3. Skipping the Nutrients
When you are eating meals that are prepared specifically to satiate your taste buds, it is very rare that they have proper nutrients in them. Therefore, the nutrients your body needs to function properly are often skipped. This can affect your mental health and cause stress.
4. Common Cold
Cold and flu are already very common during winter but during the festive season, people get careless and often catch a cold while enjoying a good time with friends and family. It is important to have a good time and enjoy yourself but it is necessary to not catch a cold so that you can enjoy Christmas in its full spirit.
Common Mental Health Problems During Christmas Holidays
Along with physical problems during the Christmas holidays, it is common to face multiple mental health-related issues too. While it is difficult to pinpoint the exact reason for mental health-related issues, it is quite easy to detect them and prevent them accordingly. Some common mental health problems faced by people during the Christmas holidays are:
1. Holiday Depression
When you meet your loved ones,you feel joy but sometimes you might start comparing your life with theirs and get into a feeling of depression. Some families have a habit of comparing achievements that might make you feel pressured and embarrassed. This can have a negative effect on your mental peace. You might have trouble having a good time during the Christmas holidays.
2. Anxiety
Christmas holidays also mean that the new year is around the corner. While it is something you enjoy, you might feel the anxiety of the preparations for a new beginning. You might have set goals that you want to complete in the new year and they might overwhelm you.
How to Stay Healthy during Holidays – Mentally and Physically?
There are some simple steps that you can take during the Christmas holidays to maintain your mental and physical health. This will help you enjoy the festive time better and you will have a good time with your friends and family.
1. Mindful Eating
If you pay close attention to what food you eat during the holiday season, it will not only help you to avoid overeating but also help you avoid eating food that is not suitable for your health. This is especially helpful if you are dealing with high cholesterol or Diabetes. If you deal with the problem of overeating, you will also be able to prevent bloating, acidity, and other digestive system-related issues.
2. Control Your Consumption of Alcohol
Stay alert when you are consuming alcohol. Check and control the amount of alcohol you consume so that you do not suffer from the side effects later the next day.
3. Drink Enough Water
Staying hydrated can be one of the easiest ways to maintain your mental and physical health during the Christmas season. Drinking enough water will also help you stay calm and stress-free.
4. Practise Meditation
It is difficult to take out some personal time when the house is full of guests. But try to get up early and take out 15 to 20 minutes of meditation. This will help you clear your mind and you will also get some personal time in which you can focus on yourself. This will also help you fight anxiety and depression.
Conclusion
The holiday season is meant for fun but if you do not take proper care of yourself, it is difficult to enjoy it properly. In this article, we’ve mentioned the common health issues faced by individuals during the Christmas holidays and the steps that one can take to prevent them. Try to follow these steps and you will notice that you will have a better holiday and are able to enjoy yourself more.