So you've been to your second party, and its not even the second week of December. You wonder how you'll make it to New Year's Day without having to buy a whole new wardrobe two sizes bigger. Worse yet is waking in the middle of the night with a terrible case of acid reflux, or the terror of having consumed three-times the daily recommended amount of sodium and fat.
It doesn't have to be that way.
Here are a few tips for the long party haul...
1. It's not your last meal: Some friends in Italy had a maxim (not a saying--a maxim, which is like a principle to live by): "Eat as if there is no tomorrow." I don't know what it is about feasts, but when I get into one (and I can tell almost immediately when it's going to be a good one), I feel as if I'm chained to this maxim, like it's my new religion or something. It's fine if it's a birthday feast, and you've been eating oatmeal for dinner the past few nights, then great--go for the gusto! But if you are on the second leg of a 20-leg culinary marathon, then you can take it a little easy. Stop when you feel like you're no longer ravenous. Don't worry--there'll be more...
2. You don't have to turn into a runner overnight: Ok, so you're afraid of that two sizes bigger wardrobe that you'll need to buy before New Years, but that doesn't mean you have to sign up for marathon training at the Running Room. Getting out for a 20-minute walk every day is very good exercise, and will help you feel good. Many glorify the marathon as if it is the prometheus of health, but that's just not the case. If you enjoy running, then obviously go for it. But if you hate it, then just getting out and enjoying the air and getting your heart rate up is very good for you.
3. If you have a dog, walk it: It's easy to be tired and bummed out over the month of December--if you have 5 minutes of breathing room between work, parties, and sleep. You look down at your dog whose full out chomping on your pant cuffs, begging to go for a walk after days of neglect, and you'd rather watch re-runs of M.A.S.H. than take the darn thing out. But walking your dog is a synergistic relationship, meaning that it benefits and you benefit: while you're giving the dog fresh air and exercise, it's giving you the same thing. This'll make you feel good, and help keep you active, while giving you a chance to be with another being that won't ask you annoying questions the entire time.
4. Easy on the drink: Alcohol is a depressant. While many enjoy it for it's ability to make them feel less inhibited, those same chemicals that are suppressing your inhibitions are also jacking up your dopamine levels that make you more and more depressed. As well, alcohol can have residual effects on your body, raising, for instance, levels of fatigue, irritability, and reduced brain function. It seems like an everyday practice to consume alcohol, but it is considered one of the most harmful drugs in the world today. If you want to feel good, and you've got a bunch of parties lined up in a row, consider going lighter on the drink, or abstaining entirely.
5. Proteins over Carbs: Following the logic of our first tip (it's not your last meal), consider eating more proteins than carbohydrates. This is not to say avoid eating carbs altogether; but rather to consider having a plate of meat and salad, and leaving the mashed potatoes and thick-crusted bread for the person behind you in line at the buffet table. You'll feel less bloated, and overall more energetic. As well, if it's an evening party, you won't be going to bed feeling like you're the stuffed bird for the next party. It's about moderation, and eating for the marathon, not for the final meal.
6. Fast the next morning: When working in Italy, it was routine to eat a heavy meal between 11:00PM and 2:00AM. But the next day, while I was eating the morning meal of sweet bread and stiff espresso, some of my colleagues wouldn't eat until lunchtime, giving their bodies a chance to digest the food of earlier that morning. This wasn't all the time, but just when they felt they had eaten too much the night before. If you've hit a late night party, consider skipping breakfast, or, if you're really full, having your next meal at dinner time, drinking plenty of water in the meantime. It doesn't hurt to have a 'liquid lunch' that day, say a Booster or Jugo Juice or bringing your favourite smoothy from home--add in some chia seeds or macca powder and you'll feel awesome.
7. Leave early: You don't have to close out the party--you can make a nice showing, talk to your friends and colleagues, enjoy the food, and exit before it gets too late. This will give you a good night sleep, as well as prevent you from making a third round at the dessert table--or the martini bar.
8. Make other plans: You don't have to go to every party being thrown out there by work colleagues, friends, religious community groups, and distant relatives of distant relatives. If you get an invite, it's ok to have "other plans." You need time for yourself and your immediate family. Taking some time to be un-social and find solitude is vital for our well-being. It give us the chance to breathe and be present for ourselves and those immediately around us.
9. Remember why you're doing it: For many, parties are about pleasure; but there is another reason that's much simpler: relationship. Being relational at a party doesn't necessitate a prefacing two glasses of Zinfandel--it's simply a place to be among others and feel connected to a larger community.
10. Bring yourself: Many of us leave parties feeling worse and lonelier than when we first entered them. We feel hurt by conversations, or the tension in our shoulders and necks from the facade we wore the entire time, trying to be someone we're not. It's ok to just be who you are, and bring yourself to the party. Often parties are filled with people who would all rather be somebody else, when it would be much richer and enjoyable if they could just live freely in who they uniquely are. If you're on leg 2 of a 20-leg party marathon, give 'bringing yourself' a chance: who you are at that moment with all the fatigue, error-proneness, and mixed-bag of emotions that being human comes with. Those who accept you are your true friends; those who don't are undeserving of your time.
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