The last quarter of the year is filled to the brim with fun holidays and delicious foods. It can become easy to get swept up into the festivities and forget to take care of yourself properly. While weight gain is not as bad of an issue as we once thought it was, there are many other ways that people can become unhealthy during the holiday season. Keep reading below to help ensure that you stay healthy this year!

Dietary Health

While we no longer worry and fear-monger about putting on serious holiday weight, there is still a chance that we can gain weight or put ourselves out of commission with bad food choices, especially during this quarter of the year.

• Eat: Soup, vitamin C (which boosts immunity), protein, warm dairy, and root vegetables

• Avoid: Sweets (sorry Halloween candy and gingerbread cookies), high sodium meals, cold meals, and raw meals (raw fish or uncooked veggies)

Physical Health

The holiday season is not known to be a lazy season, by any means. We stay active indirectly by doing things such as decorating, dancing, or even cooking. In areas that have snow and ice, people might skate, sled, ski, or other seasonal physical activities. In areas without snow, people might be spending more active time outside to simply enjoy the winter air, meaning more time to exercise in a refreshing temperature, as even just cold weather can add an amp to a workout. But physical health extends beyond working out, so follow these tips to keep yourself healthy and safe during the winter months.

• Insulate yourself: Even if it’s not snowing, the cold can get to you quickly, so make sure you have layers to stay warm

• Drink water! Even if you’re not sweating as much because you are nice and cool, your body still needs water. Make sure to bring healthy drinks with you when you go out to play.

• Moisturize: Part of a healthy body is having healthy skin. Protect yourself from dry, wrinkled, and cracked skin by maintaining a good moisturizing schedule.

• Put immunity first: eating foods to boost immunity, getting vaccinations for the flu and COVID, and keeping up good hygiene are all great ways to maintain immunity that will help your immune system fight off any winter sicknesses that could ruin the holiday season for you.

Mental Health

Mental health can take a big hit during these last few months, but it can go largely unnoticed amidst all the other activities that keep us busy. Seeing a therapist or other mental health professional is a great way to keep yourself healthy at all times, not just the winter months, but if that is not an option, keep an eye out for these common winter afflictions.

• Seasonal Depression

  • Also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder

  • Described as an onset of Major Depressive Disorder that comes, for some, in the winter months. Air is colder, days are shorter, and a gathering or a lack thereof of family and friends can all have a crushing toll on people’s mental health.

  • Keep in mind, you can feel this without having seasonal depression or MDD. The holidays have the potential to be just as stressful as they are fun.

  • Talk to others about how you feel. Being open about the what and why of your emotional state is a great way to alleviate immediate pressure, but follow these tips to create a more sustainable way to protect your mental health this season.

• Holiday Anxiety

  • Anxiety and/or overwhelming panic that comes from the holiday season. This could include high expectations without support from others, sudden crowds, constant and excessive loud noises, and similarly jarring stimuli. People with social anxiety are particularly vulnerable to this.

  • Can worsen with exposure to loud sounds, large crowds, insomnia, unhealthy food choices.

  • Removal from stimulus or finding ways to decrease stimulus is a great way to take back control from holiday anxiety. Wear headphones to decrease sound, limit the amount of people in a house/room, and be open to others about how their expectations without their support makes you feel.

The way mental health issues show themselves can be different in everyone, but being aware of your own mindset and seeking help or accepting help when offered is a great way to take care of yourself properly. Of course, none of this should be used in place of proper medical mental care, if that is accessible.

If you are looking to keep people healthy and safe as a medical professional, apply to an open opportunity on our job page here or send us an updated resume here. We’ll connect you with a specialized recruiter and get you on the right path to finding your best healthcare job!