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Article: How
to beat those Valentine's Day blues Valentine’s
Day is here with all its commercial grandeur of chocolate hearts, fine dining, red roses,
cards and other gifts of love and romance. However, with all its magic, it can also be a
time of heartache for couples when expectations go unmet or of deep loneliness for
singles aching for the romance missing from their lives. Whether attached or single, this
can be a challenging time especially for those of you who turn to food for comfort from
the kind of emotional heartache and pain felt by many at this time of year. Here are some tips on how to beat the
Valentine’s Day blues. SOME TIPS FOR IF
YOU'RE ATTACHED: Don’t expect
your mate to read your mind BEFORE
February 14th, sit down with your mate and share each other’s expectations
for how you want to celebrate this holiday as a couple. If you’re expecting special
gifts and a night of romance, then let your partner know what you wish for and
how important this is to you. If there’s something specific you want, tell your mate.
Don’t expect your mate to read your mind and automatically know what you want and how
meaningful this day is to you. Otherwise you may be hurt and disappointed when your mate
fails to buy you a gift or live up to your expectations. You
may prefer that you didn't have to spell things out to your mate, wishing that if
only he or she could just know what to do, or what to buy for you on their own.
However, if that's what you've done in the past and it has repeatedly left you hurt
and disappointed, then perhaps it's time to try a new approach. A
little communication can go a long way to save you this type of heartache that can send
you straight to the fridge or cupboard for your favourite unhealthy comfort foods, or
over-indulging at meal time. Keep things in a
healthy perspective Not buying you a gift doesn’t necessarily mean your mate doesn’t love you. Perhaps your partner doesn't believe in Valentine's Day and instead prefers to demonstrate his or her love for you year round. Or maybe your partner doesn’t realize how happy it would make you to receive that special gift, card or romantic attention. Perhaps if he or she understood how much it means to you and the acts of gratitude and appreciation he or she may receive in return, he or she would gladly go the extra mile to give you what you want. The
important thing is to communicate your needs and expectations and come to a shared
understanding. This way feelings may not get hurt and the health of your relationship may
not be compromised. If you struggle with food and weight issues, this is especially
important to your weight control efforts, because when you're unsatisfied in your
relationship, you may feed your lack of love and joy with food. The resulting weight gain
may make you feel even more undeserving of your mate's love and affection. By
continuing to feed this void with food, you are perpetuating the unhealthy cycle of weight
gain and quick fix dieting. TIPS FOR IF YOU'RE SINGLE: Focus on the
love you already have in your life Instead
of over-focusing on what you feel is missing from your life, turn your thinking over to
all the wonderful things you already have. Focus on appreciation and gratitude instead for
all the love you already have around you. Get a group of family or and/or friends together
and go out for a special dinner or do a fun social activity. If you have other single
friends, then invite them as they too may not wish to be alone on this day. Indulge Give
YOURSELF a gift of love such as a day at the spa or some cheerful flowers. If you’re
trying to control your weight and want to try your hand at portion control, then spoil
yourself with the best high quality dark chocolate you can find or whatever your favourite
treat might be. Give yourself permission to enjoy a small portion and truly taste and
savour every mouthful. Just be careful not to over-indulge. Instead of buying a whole box
of chocolate, choose a few very special chocolates and stick to those. That way you
won’t have the whole box there to tempt you. Whether single or attached, keep things in perspective. This is only one day in the year so to avoid the Valentine’s Day blues, plan ahead, communicate with your partner, celebrate the love you do have and have some fun! WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER, E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You may use this article, but only if you clearly include this complete statement with it: Roslyn Franken is the author of The A List: 9 Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living, a powerful self-directed guide for achieving your long term health, lifestyle and weight management goals. Roslyn has overcome her own food and weight issues and has helped many others through her personalized counseling program and professional speaking services. She counsels clients worldwide by telephone and email who are ready to build a healthy and positive lifestyle maintainable for a lifetime. To purchase The A List book and for more information on Roslyn Franken’s personalized counseling and professional speaking services, please visit www.roslynfranken.com. Take your complimentary online Readiness Assessment and be sure to sign up for your FREE Healthy Hints newsletter. ©Copyright Roslyn Franken Group, a division of 10-Q Enterprises Inc. 2006. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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