Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother:
I’m in holiday freefall. Food or money, you name it and I am just
flailing and grabbing, eating anything in sight and buying impulsively
just because the sale prices are just so good that it seems wrong not
to take advantage of them. I have all the usual symptoms of being out
of control: fear of getting on the scale, using plastic instead of cash,
having no idea what delayed gratification means in any dimension of
my life. I just keep telling myself that if I hold on until January I’ll be
able to get back on an even keel. Between now and then is the office
party, holiday parties with my goyische friends, and New Year’s eve
and bowl game parties, But right now I am eating anything in the
room, stockpiling things I don’t really need, and generally acting like
an out of control omnivore. Is there any hope or should I just sign off
the rest of the year?
Drowning
Dear Drowning:
There’s always hope. You have a chance for redemption every meal,
every time you see a plate of holiday cookies and don’t eat them, or
eat only one, or every time you bypass a sale/steep discount/almost
free sign Here’s some things can do now to help channel some of your
holiday fervor, and maybe help get your values back in proportion:
Volunteer in a soup kitchen for the homeless; serve a community
holiday meal for the elderly; donate food to your local food pantry;
give food gifts to your neighbors. You can also buy gifts for people who
need them; donate to local and other charities; help out at the local
animal shelter.
If those charitable and heart-opening activities don’t get you back on
track, go for a walk every day at 7am and 7pm. Make being out in
nature as much of a priority as being in stores or at parties. Every
time you start to hear yourself negotiate a boundary you set, remind
yourself what you’re really here for – to make the world a better place,
not to make yourself overstuffed and overspent.