Dr. Rippe's Blog

Do you remember that old advertising slogan for long distance calls--"Reach out and touch someone"?  At this time of year, I'm often reminded that this simple, even if over-familiar, phrase to me holds the secret of making the holidays enjoyable, rather than rushed and stressed.

We often idealize the holidays as a time to enjoy being with family and friends. Yet too often in trying to realize this ideal, we stress out trying to have the house decorated just so and preparing elaborate meals and dishes for partying and snacking. If you get a lot of enjoyment out of doing these things and it is relaxing for you, that's great.  But if all the preparation is getting in the way of your actually enjoying being with and talking with friends and family, it's time to shift focus. Make simple preparations or plan a meal everyone can help put together quickly, then take time to visit.

Sometimes the visiting itself can be stressful, particularly with individuals whom you may not see often or whom you are barely acquainted. I've found there are some surefire questions to start interesting conversations. Why not give some of these a try?

• Do you have a special holiday memory of a parent or special relative or friend?
• What's the funniest thing that ever happened during the holidays?
• Does (or did) your family (or community) have any special traditions that you enjoy carrying forward (or wish you did)?
• Best present you ever received?  You ever gave?

 

How we eat and manage our weight has a lot to do with our sense of well-being. Almost every parent is aware that America's children and youth as a whole are increasingly overweight. Helping children make healthful food choices and maintain a healthy weight is an important task. This past week the American Dietetic Association held its largest annual meeting in my hometown of Boston. Helping children learn to eat right and enjoy healthful foods was a primary emphasis of the meeting. To help parents everywhere the ADA has launched a new website: www.kidseatright.org. It has resources ranging from recipes with healthy modifications of kid favorites like mac and cheese to tips for how to involve children in selecting and preparing foods they and the whole family will enjoy. Why not take a quick preview right now?

As the holiday season draws nears our days grow busier, don't they?  The holidays ought to be times to relax and enjoy family. But between juggling work and family responsibilities and all the added "to do's" of holiday preparation, stress rather than relaxation or enjoyment can be the word of the day.

If we're not careful, everything we have to do can soon become too much. To help you avoid that fate and come closer to having the relaxed and enjoyable holidays we all wish, I have one simple suggestion. It's worked for me in my career and for our family for years. Here's the secret: Divide and Conquer.

And here's what it means.  No task or list of tasks is so big that it can't be broken into doable sections and organized into a schedule that you can accomplish without going crazy.  For example, in my career I am not only a busy physician and research scientist who travels hundreds of miles each year but I also am the chief editor of the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine and more than one major medical textbook (that includes hundreds of thousands of words and multiple contributors). Of course, I have assistants, but we all follow the same routine. We take all the big projects and break them down into doable sections. Each section gets it's own breakdown and schedule. By completing each smaller task on time, we get the big project down without excessive pressure.

I use the same approach each day. Because I like pen and paper, each evening I take a 3 x 5 index card and list on it all the tasks for the next day. I work off my larger project list. Each morning, then, I'm all set to go. And most days all goes smoothly.  When there are glitches because my team and I have been prepared, we can usually adjust easily without too much stress.

As you and your family approach the holidays, think about how you might divide and conquer all that has to be done without stressing out.