Have a Happy Safe and Happy New Year Weekend and enjoy New Years Day Sunday!!

“New Years Day is also the most hazardous day of the year for pedestrians. Not only are drivers potentially impaired, but those on foot can also ignore traffic lights or crosswalks. If you are walking, make sure to stay on pedestrian paths and observe traffic laws; only cross at crosswalks and try to remain in well-lit areas. If you are driving, take extra care to consider those on foot.  First of all, make sure to check your local regulations regarding personal use of fireworks. If it is illegal or if you are unfamiliar with how they work, leave them to professionals! If you still decide to use legal fireworks, make sure to keep children and pets away from the area – even sparklers, which are often used by kids, burn at temperatures of about 2000 degrees and can be incredibly dangerous. Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose at the ready.  Between fireworks, noisemakers and general revelry, pets can experience high anxiety on New Years Eve. Scared pets can bit or run and potentially get hurt, cause accidents or become lost. The best way to keep pets safe is to keep them indoors and comfortable; consider playing relaxing music to drown out any startling outside noises. ”

American Safety Council (https://blog.americansafetycouncil.com/new-years-eve-safety-tips/)

Plan a Sober Ride

Drinking during New Years is not uncommon. But if you do choose to enjoy a cocktail or two, keep yourself and those around you safe by planning for a sober ride. Ask a sober friend or family member to take you home. Take an Uber,  planned ride or even an old fashioned cab if that is your preferred method. You can even take a bus or train depending on where you live and where the party is from. Even in your sober ride, act appropriately so your driver can pay attention to the road. Remember, your driver may be sober, but there’s likely another driver near that is not.

Don’t Drink and Drive:

This first New Year’s safety tip is obvious for a reason. Drinking and driving is not only dangerous to yourself but also everyone else in the vicinity of your vehicle. It should come as no surprise that January 1st has the highest percentage of deaths related to alcohol, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety data. Between 2007 and 2011, 42 percent of all traffic deaths during the holiday were directly caused by alcohol. Keep others from driving while intoxicated by suggesting they use other methods, like an Uber.

Eat Dinner:

This may seem like an odd New Year’s safety tip, but a full stomach is a great way to avoid alcohol poisoning.

Try to consume foods high in protein such as cheese, meat and nuts. These types of food will slow down the absorption of alcohol in the digestive system. This will give the alcohol more time to metabolize in the body resulting in a lower risk of alcohol poisoning. Our liver metabolizes about one alcoholic drink per hour. A good rule of thumb is a 12 oz. beer = 4-5 oz. of wine = 1.5 oz. of hard liquor. By sipping a drink rather than chugging it, your body will have more time to metabolize the alcohol which will result in less of a hangover. Consider ordering an appetizer if you’re out at a restaurant or snack on nuts while drinking at a bar.

Pet Safety:

Nothing frightens pet’s more than sudden loud noises. Extra attention must be given so your pets won’t run away in a panic. Scared, running pets can be hit by cars, cause accidents, and become lost…not to mention, frequently bite people if scarred or threatened.

Wait to Post on Social Media:

Yes, it’s tempting to document your holiday celebrations online with friends and family, but recommended is waiting until you’ve returned home to share. You never know who’s looking at your account and what their intentions may be.

These are five fairly simple New Year’s safety tips that can simply save your life. Don’t let the dangers of New Year’s ruin your celebration. Be prepared, have a good time, and have a happy New Year’s!

Acknowledge What You’ve Lost.

While the holidays are mainly about thankfulness and celebration, this can also be a really hard time of year, even during normal circumstances. If you’re missing a loved one, think of ways to honor them during your festivities. If you’ve lost a job or had to drop out of school, take the time to recognize the challenges that came with that. Even if you haven’t lost anything concrete, we’ve all lost our sense of normalcy this year – it’s okay to grieve that during this time.

Make The Most Of It.

There’s no denying that things will be different this year, but holidays don’t need to be canceled (or even minimized). There will be some things that you can’t do right now, but there are surely some that you can. You can still carve pumpkins, send sweets to your friends and family for Diwali, make your favorite Thanksgiving meal, light the menorah, decorate gingerbread houses, and break out confetti poppers for New Year’s Eve. For the things you can’t do – brainstorm how to adapt them for COVID times. If you’re disappointed about Halloween parties being cancelled, plan a small outdoor gathering, or come up with virtual games to play over Zoom instead. Feeling lonely because you won’t get to see your extended family? Round up your cousins to video chat while preparing Thanksgiving dinner.

Don’t Romanticize Your Typical Holiday Plans.

Remember that while your holiday season may normally be full of excitement and joy, it can also be a time of high stress. Long days of travel, endless to-do lists, and dinners with that one family member you don’t get along with are all part of the holidays too. Even though you may be giving up some of your favorite things about the holidays this year, you’re probably leaving some stressors behind too. You don’t need to be happy about this – sometimes the chaos is part of the fun! – but be careful not to distort the situation and make it seem worse than it really is.

Practice Gratitude.

Gratitude is a major focus this time of year, and while it may seem harder to find things to appreciate, there is still plenty to be thankful for. Make a conscious effort to regularly identify some things that you’re grateful for. It can be something as broad as your health, or something as specific as your favorite song playing on the radio the last time you got in the car. Change is hard, but it isn’t always bad. There are still ways to celebrate the season with your loved ones, even if you must give up some of your favorite traditions. Find creative ways to adapt. Or start new traditions – they may even add more meaning to your holiday season.

If you’re still finding yourself sad, hopeless, or unable to enjoy the holidays this year, you may be struggling with a mental health condition. Look up a online screen to determine what you’re feeling is a sign of something like depression or anxiety rather than holiday stress.

Part II Tomorrow on Wednesday!

“Through August 2018, BSE surveillance has identified 26 cases in North America: 6 BSE cases in the United States and 20 in Canada. Of the 6 cases identified in the United States, one was born in Canada; of the 20 cases identified in Canada, one was imported from the United Kingdom.”

Centers for Disease Prevention and Control-CDC ( https://www.cdc.gov/prions/bse/bse-north-america.html)

“Since 1996, evidence has been increasing for a causal relationship between the outbreak in Europe of a disease in cattle, called bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or “mad cow disease”), and a disease in humans, called “variant” Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).

Both disorders are invariably fatal brain diseases with unusually long incubation periods measured in years, and are caused by abnormally folded proteins in the brain called “prions” (pree-ons).  ”

Dept. of Health (https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/bse/index.html)

“On August 29, 2018 the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a confirmed atypical, H-type case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a six year old mixed-breed beef cow in Florida. USDA reported that this animal never entered the food supply and at no time presented a risk to human health. ” Last updated 2o21

Centers for Disease Control-CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/prions/bse/case-us.html)

“Translated as “sickness of disembarkment,” mal de debarquement syndrome (MdDS) is the illusion of movement after movement has stopped. It is caused by exposure and then removal of movement. Many people deal with MdDS after air or sea travel. Typically, MdDS resolves itself within 24 hours. However, for some patients, it can last for months or years.”

Bon Secours (https://www.bonsecours.com/)

woman feeling rocking dizziness from mal de debarquement after cruise ship vacation

Mal de debarquement (MDD) is a rare and poorly understood disorder of the vestibular system that results in a phantom perception of self- motion typically described as rocking, bobbing or swaying. The symptoms tend to be exacerbated when a patient is not moving, for example, when sleeping or standing still.

When you head out to sea on a cruise ship, your brain and body have to get used to the constant motion. It’s called “getting your sea legs,” and it keeps you from crashing into a wall every time the ship bobs up or down.

When you get back on shore, you need time to get your land legs back. That usually happens within a few minutes or hours, but it can take up to 2 days. With mal de debarquement syndrome, though, you can’t shake the feeling that you’re still on the boat. That’s French for “sickness of disembarkment.” You feel like you’re rocking or swaying even though you’re not.

It can happen to anyone, but it’s much more common in women ages 30 to 60. It’s not clear if hormones play a role.

People who get migraines may be more likely to get it, too, but doctors aren’t sure how the two conditions are linked.

What Are the Symptoms?

Mainly, you feel like you’re rocking, swaying, or bobbing when there’s no reason for it. You might feel unsteady and even stagger a bit.

Other symptoms include:

• Anxiety
• Confusion
• Depression
• Feeling very tired
• Having a hard time focusing
• Nausea

Your symptoms may go away when you ride in a car or train, but they’ll come back when you stop moving. And they can get worse with:

• Being in a closed-in space
• Fast movement
• Flickering lights
• Stress
• Tiredness
• Trying to be still, like when you’re going to sleep
• Intense visual activity, like playing video games

What Causes It?

It happens most often after you’ve been out on the ocean, but riding in planes, trains, and cars can lead to it, too. It’s even been caused by water beds, elevators, walking on docks, and using virtual reality.

While almost any kind of motion can cause it, doctors don’t know what’s really behind it. In most cases, you get it after a longer trip. But there’s no tie between the length of your trip and how bad the symptoms are or how long they last.

In trying to diagnose this condition through ruling out other problems since no one test diagnoses this condition.  It’s a rare condition, so it may take a few visits to figure it out. Your doctor probably will want to rule out other causes for your symptoms with things like:

“This Christmas do 3 ways to actually rest over the holiday.  One don’t indulge! Most people go into all sorts of excess over the holidays. Too much turkey, TV all the time, Netflix binges, football binges, activity after activity, movies every day, etc. Take your pick! It’s certainly available during the holidays!

The reality is that while these things might feel like relief, they don’t really give you rest. The change of scenery might feel nice, and put your brain in a coma for a few days, but it won’t actually relax or reenergize you.

Instead of indulging, purposefully choose a few activities that actually refresh and restore you, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

It’s ok to say “no”.   It is okay to tell yourself, “I don’t have to be at every neighborhood party or holiday gathering.”

As a good friend used to tell me: “Every once and a while, you need to relax enough to get bored.” We often find our most creative moments come when we are bored!

Doesn’t it sound nice to have evenings and weekends that aren’t just go, go, go, all the time? Decide what you’re going to say no to this year. This will allow you to find some space to just “do nothing” for an evening or two.

Lastly, find agreement. 

Make sure you don’t just decide how to rest all by yourself and leave your family members to fend for themselves! True rest isn’t individualistic but takes place in and with community.

So decide as a family what true rest looks like this season. Talk about it, be proactive, honor personality differences, and get on the same page about what’s happening over the holidays. It’s OK if everyone doesn’t do the same thing, just make sure you’re communicating well with those who matter most.”

Five Capitals (https://blog.fivecapitals.net/3-ways-to-make-sure-you-actually-rest-over-the-holidays/)

Many people will find themselves burnt out after the festive season instead of refreshed and ready for another working year. It is very important to use the time you have off work to revitalise yourself, relax and spend quality time with your loved ones. This will have fantastic affects on your mindset going into the New Year. An essential aspect of winding down at this time of the year is through sleep and rest.

Sleep is an essential daily body function. Sleep boosts the immune system, repairs muscle and tissue damage, archives memories and helps sort through all the information processed throughout the day. Without enough sleep, we experience fatigue, attention and memory problems, and stress. It’s easy to skip the required amount of sleep during the festive period due to the stress and anxiety associated preparing food, buying presents and entertaining guests. But without enough sleep, alertness and attentiveness is affected, which will take away from your experience and enjoyment.

That is why it is just as important during the festive season, if not more, to make sure you get the recommended 7–8 hours of sleep per night. While you may not be at work, your body may be more physically exerted than it would be in non-holiday weeks, with the additional impact of alcohol and overeating. During this time you may also be more emotionally stressed, which is only intensified with lack of sleep.

Stress and Fatigue

Physical and mental exhaustion are both components of fatigue. Sustaining concentration, attention and alertness is profoundly affected by lack of sleep, symptoms that are unwanted all the time but especially when you want to enjoy yourself over the festive season. Feeling fatigued causes people to feel stressed; around this time of the year when people are already starting to feel overwhelmed, lack of sleep and fatigue will heighten it further and make for an unpleasant holiday.

Sleep and weight control

Sleep is an integral component of weight control. Studies have confirmed that even with healthy eating and exercise, if people do not achieve enough sleep they will have difficulty losing weight. With all the almost unavoidable overindulgences during the festive period, sleep will be an essential part of keeping the weight off.

The after-Christmas-lunch lull

It is a natural biological function to feel sleepy at around 2pm every day. This is heightened after a big carbohydrate rich meal – or, in other words, by what you will be eating on Christmas Day! When you feel the post-lunch dip it is perfectly okay to have a 20–30 minute nap. Napping is a good way to improve alertness and performance if kept under an hour. This will give you some energy to get ready for the next celebration at Christmas dinner!