Christmas in Malta
In September 2016, I decided to book a Christmas holiday. A friend asked if she could come with me and we agreed to go to Malta, departing on 22nd December for 7 nights.
I had a few reservations, as I know this friend likes to do things her own way, and this was my only holiday this year. But I went with the plan to enjoy myself.
We arrived at our hotel about 2pm in the afternoon of the 22nd December, unpacked and decided to go for a walk and explore the area. That evening we ate in a restaurant affiliated with the hotel. The food was excellent and the portions were huge.
We both ordered a lamb burger, which came with salad and chips. It wasn’t long before I felt full up. But I noticed my first change in my behaviour regarding eating. Rather than eating everything on my plate, I stopped eating when I was feeling full.
Frustratingly, I woke up the next day with the start of a cold. We went for a walk and stopped at various points for refreshments. But rather than following the old adage ‘feeding a cold to starve a fever’ I listened to what my body actually needed.
In the past when I had a cold I would’ve eaten despite not feeling hungry because I was feeling poorly and feeling sorry for myself! However, this time I only ate and drank what I thought my body actually required.
And I noticed more health behaviour changes continue the next day, when my friend wanted a pre-dinner G&T and I decided to stay with sparkling water.
Again, in the past I may have had a drink to make myself feel better, or because I felt I had to to be social.
Unfortunately, the holiday was going to give me some more challenges! My friend had been in a bad place all week and decided that she was going to go home 2 days early. She certainly hadn’t been in the right frame of mind to enjoy our surroundings, and had spent much of her time on her mobile or ipad.
Although I did try to persuade her to stay, her mind was made up. Again, in the past I might have handled this very differently.
But I decided to look after myself, given the new situation. Therefore, I spoke to the receptionist who kindly agreed to upgrade me to a superior room with a sea view, when my friend checked out.
On the morning of her departure day, I packed my case and collected the key for my new room. I returned to our original room to find her packing. I gave her the old key and left wishing her a good flight.
When I got into my new room, I was able to reframe the whole situation and leapt with joy that a toxic relationship was no longer around me.
I felt as if a lead weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I unpacked in my new room and enjoyed a long walk, stopping to take in the views. Strangely enough Malta started to look so much better!
On my last day, my head cold got worse. Again, I thought about what my body required. So I bought some water and fruit and headed back to my room to lay in bed and look out over the sea, allowing my body time to recover.
The next day and 24 hours before departure on 29 December, I checked-in online only to be given a seat in the back row. I wondered how I was going to feel on a flight for three and a half hours feeling like this.
On arrival the next day at the airport check-in desk I asked if there were any seats in business class. There was one left and it cost 140 euros. I hadn’t spent my 50 euros per day budget after my friend left so I treated myself to the upgrade.
It was wonderful to have more space and also to have a cooked lunch, especially as I hadn’t wanted to eat for the last few days. I was actually feeling hungry! I enjoyed my lunch:
- Lemon and pepper seared salmon with sweet pea and thyme risotto
- Warm bread roll
- Baked Lemon and almond tart
- Cheddar cheese with quince jelly
- Coffee or tea
I ate the salmon risotto and the roll. I enjoyed a few mouthfuls of the lemon and almond tart as well as two small pieces of cheese with two water biscuits. But I left the rest.
This holiday experience had not been one that I could have predicted. Once home and on reflection, I realised that throughout the holiday I had reframed many of the events as oppose to feeling sorry for myself and blaming myself, which I would probably have done in the past.
Despite the stresses and strains of the holiday, I know I am now mindful to eat when I am hungry and not when reacting to a situation.
There are always going to be challenges to our stress and emotional levels. It’s at those times that it’s especially important to look after our bodies: eat what our bodies need, not to try and provide some means of comfort. There are other ways to treat ourselves that give us the pleasure and reward, so it no longer has to be food.