My top 10 tips for feeling sane around food and your body this holiday season!

My top 10 tips for feeling sane around food and your body this holiday season!

It’s December 2nd and here we are in another holiday season. Already there’s been a flurry of activity this past week with thanksgiving and all the Black Friday sales.  This year, Christmas is coming in just 3 weeks (Hanukkah, too) because Thanksgiving was so late in November.

While you might be looking forward to some parts of the holiday season, if you’re feeling crazy around food or embarrassed about the way you look, you’re very likely feeling anxious as well.  For some of you this may not feel like the most wonderful time of year.  

I get it. I’ve been in your shoes and I want to give you some ways that will help ease some of your anxiety.  I hope these tips will help you find a little more joy and allow you to feel a little less stressed.

1.  Remind yourself that your body shape and size has been largely predetermined by your genetics and environment. Yes, you can try to fight this, but you’ll lose 95-99% of the time. Knowing this, I hope you can let go of trying to control your size or your hunger and instead, honor your hunger and eat what tastes good. 

2. When you decide to eat what you want, please eat to whatever fullness level feels good. On some days you might want to eat past your normal fullness level and that’s ok. On some days you may be running around shopping, wrapping, preparing and end up eating less than normal. Trust your body and know your hunger levels will likely vary based on what you’ve eaten over time. 

3. If you eat when you aren’t hungry or as a reaction to some feelings, that’s perfectly normal and fine. Expect this around the holidays and decide ahead of time that you aren’t going to beat yourself up or feel any shame or guilt.

4. Self care, self care, self care. Please take a minute to write down 5-10 things that you can do for yourself to take care of your body and mind. Maybe things like:
*get 7-8 hours of sleep
*practice deep breathing for 2 minutes every day
*take a yoga class (my online classes are great to do anytime, anywhere and you can’t beat the price!)
*write in a gratitude journal (5 specific things you’re grateful for each day.  This single practice alone has been a game changer for me)
*schedule quality time with friends or family
*get a babysitter so you can run errands or wrap gifts or get a massage without your kids tugging at your sleeve

5. Practice self compassion.  Remind yourself that I love you already. You’re human and bound to make mistakes. Have patience for yourself and talk to yourself the way you would speak to your child or your best friend.  

6. Ask yourself how you want to show up for your friends and family. Do you wan to be fully present and calm or frenzied and annoyed?  Try to make a conscious choice ahead of time to be fully present so you can enjoy meaningful conversations and connections.

7.  I’ve written before about why I don’t comment on people’s weight anymore and what to do if people comment on your body. My best advice here is to commit to not saying anything about anyone else’s food or body and if someone says something to you, change the subject or walk away.

8. Avoid getting lulled into the fantasy of making a plan if/when you feel anxious around food. The plans are meant to fail and come guised in so many forms pretending not to be a diet. If the plan you're considering involves any of the following, be wise to the broken system and avoid it from the beginning.
It's a diet if it:
*tells you what to eat
*tells you when to eat
*tells you how much to eat
*moralizes certain foods and demonizes other foods
*dictates how much you should exercise
*eliminates whole food groups without medical necessity 
If you really want a plan, read here.  

9. Don’t restrict your food in an attempt to allow yourself to eat what you want later. When you restrict yourself, no matter how small you think it might be, your body will react in a way that will make you feel crazy around food. Keep yourself well nourished as a way to maintain your sanity and energy.  Ask yourself, am I eating enough?

10.  Find clothes that fit and flatter your current figure and commit to saying kind things to yourself about your body. At the very least, remind yourself that you accept your current body and that all bodies are deserving of love and respect now.

I hope you can refer back to this list over the next 3 weeks and into the New Year. I’m sending you so much love and compassion and wishes for a holiday filled with peace around food and your body.