Surviving the holidays

Holiday cheer can be as fun as it was in days of yore, but it can definitely be hard on that mature body we've been talking about lately.

After a weekend of holiday parties, I am definitely in a brain and body fog.

Is it the aftermath of a sugar binge, my liver working overtime to deal with those extra pours of holiday cheer, or just the emotionally heightened atmosphere that the holidays tend to bring to all of our lives? (Some of us never get over the betrayal of no Santa Claus.)

I needed to convene a panel of experts on this one.

I started with my friend and Healthspan adviser Dr. John La Puma, author of "The Real Age Diet," on what I could be doing to avoid this holiday coma I find myself in. I am sure he wanted to tell me to stay home more, make toys for orphans and stop squandering my precious brain cells on fattening alcohol-rich egg nog. But as usual, he gave me a useful perspective: "Celebrating is a good thing. Our culture needs those special events. Just don't forget to get back to normal when it is over."

Nevertheless, the holidays are a time ripe for disappointed expectations, according to food coach and diet expert Wendy Allen.

"Our stomachs don't know it is the holidays, only our minds. And if we can continue to eat as if it is just any other day, we will be acting in a very compassionate, loving way to our bodies. And if that's not the reason for the season, what is?"

Here are a few other suggestions I've gathered about how to survive the pull to holiday decadence:

* Don't arrive anywhere starving. Eating a snack that is high in fiber will keep you from rushing that hors d'oeuvre table like a linebacker when you enter the front door of a party.

* Establish some ground rules in advance of the party that will allow some holiday indulgence, but will also protect you from a New Year of morose regret. This can be especially helpful when it comes to alcohol. The wine can flow freely at holiday time, so deciding in advance that you will have only two glasses, for example, can definitely be a good strategy.

* Follow the rules you've already learned about keeping weight in check. Enjoy the holiday treats but in smaller portions. Eat mindfully, allowing yourself to feel when you are full and satiated.

* Don't try to diet during the holidays, but keep up with your exercising so you can hopefully maintain your weight despite all of the extra temptations.

Surviving the holidays is not just about keeping our balance when it comes to calories. Keeping our emotions in balance can be definitely challenged during this time.

I asked Dr. Jay Winner, author of "Stress Management Made Simple," what he could suggest regarding surviving the holidays.

"Remember to keep your sense of humor. When the dog eats the turkey, think about how funny a story it will be in a few years. If it will be funny later, laugh now."

In these times when emotions tend to run at a high pitch, Dr. Winner further cautions us to avoid catastrophizing.

"Remember that things aren't always as bad as they seem. And don't forget to remind yourself all the things in life for which you are grateful. This will help keep things in perspective."

All good advice. But sometimes we just lose ourselves, throwing all caution to the wind when we hear Jose Feliciano sing "Feliz Navidad" one more time.

What are we to do? One friend of mine perhaps had the best advice:

"Ten minutes before each party, take a 60-minute walk!"

Dr. Michael O.L. Seabaugh is a Cape Girardeau native who is a licensed clinical psychologist in Santa Barbara and Santa Monica, Calif. Contact him at mseabaugh@semissourian.com.