Let's be honest. Many of us (especially those who suffer from eating disorders) dread the holidays - the extra gift-giving demands, gluttonous food, and face-to-face contact with difficult family situations, you name it. And yet, many people really enjoy the shopping, fruit cakes, and reunions.
Holidays are like life, only amplified: If we're generally down, the holidays are miserable. If we're generally optimistic, the holidays are warm and full.
It is with these thoughts that I came across an article reviewing happiness in December issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource.
Here's what various studies have found about happiness, year-round, and how it may pertain to eating disorders this holiday season.
Money: Despite American's pursuit of money and the current global woes about it, it turns out that money really doesn't buy happiness. True, struggling with poverty or layoffs does not exactly breed joy. But once our basic needs are met, more money doesn't improve life satisfaction much. Age: Age does affect happiness. According to a study of about 2 million people in nearly 80 countries, mental distress peaks at midlife. In the United States, this typically happens for women at around age 40 and for men at around age 50. This finding has implications in eating disorders' world. Experts have viewed the teenage years as especially precarious. Faced with turbulent hormones, renegade emotions, and changing bodies, adolescents more than any other demographic turns to eating disorders. Now mirroring the teen crises period is midlife, with its recent surge of eating disorder sufferers. According to Edward Cumella, director of research and education at Remuda Ranch, women in their 40s and 50s are checking for treatment in numbers triple and quadruple that of 10 years ago. (The greatest increase has occurred in the last 5 years such that some treatment centers are reporting more than half of the inpatient population is adults). There are a multitude of reasons to explain the rise, including: ●more recent pressures to look young ●relapses back to old habits started in adolescence ●the idea that people turn to food and exercise to try and relieve the stress of no less than 15 possible midlife transitions, from menopause to divorce to empty nesting The good news is that the valley of despair may lift as the "golden years" arrive. People in their 60s and 70s tend to be as satisfied as younger people. Older people may finally accept their limitations instead of trying to fight them on the treadmill. Maturity may kick in. Or people in late life might gain an appreciation for life as friends as loved ones die. Happier people may live longer, affecting the data. Genetics: Another player in our ability to feel happy is genetics. In fact, genetics accounts for up to half of individual differences in both well-being and positive personality traits, which are closely linked. Similarly, one the greatest factors in seeding anorexia and bulimia are personality traits including anxiety, perfectionism, and impulsivity. Those have their roots in the genes we are dealt. Life circumstances: Long-term levels of happiness definitely plummet with major life events such as divorce or the death of a loved one. Marriage and pregnancy can boost happiness. In the same vein, most major transitions can spur latent eating disorders, while a few such as pregnancy can often lead to a respite. Health: People in excellent health are almost twice as likely to be happier than those in merely good health. And poor health makes us 70 percent less likely to be happy, compared with those in good health. So if you are trying to find a bit of happiness this holiday season, especially if you have a history of eating problems, search in the areas likely to make a difference: ●Worrying about money is pointless, since money won't make you happy (as long as you have food on the table). ●You can't change your genes, your age, or the circumstance of your life. ●But you can do something about appreciating the gifts of life and your health. Eat well. Exercise within limits. Take care or your needs. Start there.
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