There are gifts that make you feel like the giver really ‘gets’ you and somehow knows what would delight you. Generates that warm, fuzzy, loved feeling, doesn’t it? And then there’s - well, ever been given a Christmas ‘gift’ with a hidden message? Like bathroom scales, or a gym membership? Bet you didn’t feel all that grateful for the covert message behind that choice: “you should be different from who you are”.
So what do you give someone who says they want to get healthier without offending them? Choosing an appropriate gift that they’ll value can be tricky, though there are some gifts more likely to generate a heartfelt ‘thanks’. Here are some ideas if you find yourself in that Christmas conundrum.
Most people love a massage – perhaps a voucher for a relaxation massage with an accredited practitioner could make you very popular. While you’re there, why not pick up a voucher for yourself too?
What about a fruit box, filled with exotic fruits and nuts? Many local fruiterers provide this service – you just nominate the amount you want to spend and whether you want specific varieties excluded, they’ll do the rest. It’s usually gift wrapped for you too. If you’re feeling particularly generous, consider subscribing them to a regular delivery.
Fielding hints that your giftee wants to play tennis, go kayaking, or ride a bike? Maybe sports equipment would be a valued gift. Or perhaps they would prefer the experience alongside you: Then a kayaking or snorkelling tour might be just the thing. If you want to spend more time with your kids, perhaps some active toys like football, even a backyard croquet set.
Or, if your beloved could do with a little R&R, consider a relaxing river tour where everything is laid on and they get to just enjoy the scenery with the food laid on, the cleaning up done. With your company, of course!
The kind of unhelpful and unappreciated healthy gifts to avoid are those that communicate your intended really could do better with their health; if only they would try harder. It’s thoughts like this that lead some people to find the kind of ‘gift’ they’d never want under the Christmas tree: like bathroom scales or a treadmill. A tip, too: If you find yourself on the receiving end of gifts like this, there are many self-help relationship restoration books you could choose to bestow upon them next year.
If you enjoyed this article you might also enjoy 'How to cope better with the lead up to Christmas' here
Finally, you’re on holiday. The mobile phone is off, there’s no way you can access your email, and you’re ready for some well-deserved R&R with no plans but to sit by the pool sipping cocktails. When you eventually get out of bed, that is.
The challenge, when you’re a woman, and feeling simply exhausted by life, is to find out what’s causing the fatigue so you can do something about it. Blokes get tired too, of course, but there are uniquely female sources of fatigue.
There’s a very unhelpful statement frequently tossed at those suffering irritable bowel symdrome, or IBS: “it’s all in your mind”. Mercifully less nowadays, as we understand more of how our bodies function. IBS isn’t all in your mind of course, but there’s a good reason why those calming activities you’re advised to participate in make a difference. What makes them challenging is that much of what happens with your body is outside your conscious control.
There are some that just do it, some that will only if a friend comes along, and some that put it off until tomorrow (although tomorrow never comes). Some don’t even think about doing it. I’m talking about exercise. Maybe you’d really like to get fit but it’s just not happening. What if you could leverage your natural personality traits to make fitness training easier?
Sometimes it’s nice to simply take some time alone with your thoughts, to enjoy some refreshing solitude. Then you’re ready to head back out into the world, to reconnect with people. As well as time alone, it seems like our cells get healthier with people contact, and decline when we become too isolated from our community.
Twenty years ago a certain book was first published with a title designed to get your attention – and maybe make you a little bit angry too: “Love Your Disease, It’s Keeping You Healthy”. I confess to feeling more than a little irritated myself: It smacked of an unhelpful “you brought this upon yourself” attitude. Did this title annoy you as well? Surely the author isn’t suggesting that being unwell is a good thing?
“I think we’d better keep these in for the week”. I admit to mixed feelings when the plant hospital wouldn’t let me take my office plants home. Well, they did look a little tired. Seems they needed re-potting and a nutritional boost of some microbes and fertiliser. Indeed there is such a thing as a plant hospital – at least in Murwillumbah - and they’d been running a plant clinic.
If there is such a thing as rainwater tank envy, I bet many of us experienced it recently when our shire’s water supply became polluted with salt. Overnight, our tap water became a far less pleasant drinking experience and having your own water supply became priceless.
