Christmas is over, but the holiday still hasn’t ended. There are more parties and family gatherings ahead in the next few days. Not to mention the stress of traveling back and forth to visit relatives in other cities. By the time Christmas is over, you may be drained and exhausted from all the ways you deviated from your normal routines and eating patterns. Here are 10 ways to take a time out tomorrow or the next day.
1. Sleep late.
2. Don’t plan to shop. Eat a healthy breakfast of fruit and whole grain cereal. Then go back to bed or find a comfortable chair, and simply relax with a cup of coffee or tea.
3. Hide the sweet treats. All the candy, cookies, and desserts can give you a “sugar high.” But when it starts to wear off, you feel jittery and nervous, and maybe depressed. Too much sugar is bad for you.
4. Ditch the salty snacks, ham, & sausage. When you take in more sodium than you need, your body starts to retain fluid. This excess make you feel bloated and sluggish. A fresh fruit smoothie for lunch will provide potassium to flush the salt from your system.
5. Eliminate alcohol. While you wouldn’t ordinarily drink in the afternoon, it’s likely that you’ll be offered wine, beer, or another alcoholic beverage at holiday gatherings. It makes the day more relaxing and festive. But it can also lead to lethargy the next day. Instead of alcoholic drinks today, have a glass of ice water, orange juice or a cup of hot tea.
6. Go outside for a short walk, and fill your lungs with fresh air. Come back in and take a nap, If you can’t sleep during the day, try meditation and deep breathing exercises.
7. Settle down with a magazine like the Smithsonian, or read Tolstoy.
8. Don’t fix a big evening meal. Skip the evening cocktail. Make a bowl of fresh potato soup, minus the salt shaker.
9. Forget the evening news. Don’t leave the house to go anywhere. Relax with a Hallmark movie on TV.
10. Take a warm bath. Go to bed early.
Wake up the next day renewed and refreshed, ready for that big New Year’s Eve party.