Episode 42: How to Handle Food, Family, and Friends this Holiday Season.
So......it’s the holiday season.....
How did that even happen??? It really seems to have come out of nowhere this year!
As fun as the holidays can be, they can also be really difficult for people for a variety of reasons. But the two that I want to focus on today are:
Food; and
Family/friends
Obviously, food abounds during the holidays. Most people have more than one work party, friend gathering, and/or family celebration to attend. All of those will involve food.
Lots and lots of food.
And while it would be fantastic to just be excited about these gatherings and simply look forward to them, that's a big ask for emotional eaters. Very often, people who struggle with food are extremely anxious around the holidays. Which makes sense! It's hard for anyone to feel like they have a handle on food this time of year.
Add our family and friends to this picture. Hopefully, you have a loving, supportive group surrounding you. But not everyone is that lucky. For many folx, holiday gatherings are a time of comments about how you're eating, body shaming, and stressful family dynamics..
Obviously, these gatherings can be very triggering. Whether it's fearing the food situation or the people you're going to be celebrating with, the holidays can be rough.
And if this is the case for you, I am so, so sorry.
On this week's podcast episode, we're talking about how to handle food and family/friends during the holidays. I give you five tips on how to make the holidays a little bit easier if you're worried about food or if you're walking into some difficult social gatherings.
In a nutshell, these five tips are:
Don't change your eating patterns right now (i.e. don't start dieting). You may be tempted to do this, but it won't get you what you want (check out the episode for more on why).
Be realistic in your expectations. Yes, you are probably going to eat more than you'd like to (we pretty much all do), yes you may gain some weight (we pretty much all do), and yes your family will probably act toward you the way they always do. That's the reality. But knowing that can help you have realistic expectations for yourself and not feel so disappointed this time around.
Give yourself care and compassion. If this time of year is hard for you, be sure to pamper yourself when you can. Do the things that bring you joy. Nurture yourself.
Know your limits. Maybe hitting all of these parties isn't such a good idea. Maybe skipping a few or going for short amounts of time makes sense. Maybe there are just people you can't see. It's ok to do what works for you.
Stay connected to your Self. Remember that we all have a Self who can handle anything that comes our way (if this is a brand new to you, head to this previous episode for an explanation). Our Self-Energy can help us to stay calm and connected during these stressful situations.
I hope that this time of year is enjoyable and energizing for you. But if it isn't, know that you aren't alone. You can get through it, and hopefully these five tips will help!
To help get to know your eating parts, check out my FREE Eating Parts Cheat Sheets
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