Help in getting through the holidays, and beyond
Is it time to think about what you're really doing this holiday season?
You could call them the deadly sins of the holiday season: the desire for food, drink and things---and the consequences to health, both physical and financial.
Doctor Rich O'Neill, Psychologist at SUNY Upstate's Institute for Decision Excellence, says making good decisions is easier if you have a strategy. "Wanting' is part of our basic drive, to take care of immediate needs in times of scarcity. In other words, we're hard-wired to 'want' and that desire is fueled, especially during the holidays, by advertising and marketing.
A simple way to slow down that gut desire is to think about 'Need' versus 'Want'---and make a considered decision on whether you really need the calories, alcohol, or that object on the store shelf, or whether you're just telling yourself 'gimme.'
And, if you're not doing it for yourself, think about your children: they learn from what you model, and if you're showing them restraint and informed decision making, they'll start to be wiser about money, healthy eating and even alcohol, a reward in itself.
