The following tools will help you have the right mindset to resist overeating or eating really poorly over the holidays.
Step 1: Think about your relationship with food at holidays and special events.
Why do we focus on food so much? Happiness comes from being healthy, confident, passionate, and productive, and from being around people you love. It doesn’t really come from food. But food is a source of pleasure and it brings us together. Try to keep in perspective the role of food. It should not be the main event. Consider journalling about this. If you rely on food in order to make or break your holidays, then there is an issue that needs to be addressed.
Step 2: Practice mindful eating.
Allow yourself to enjoy the foods you love. If you do so in a mindful way you will not overeat. Overeating comes from mindless eating. If you relish every bite, you can take less bites. Eat slowly, focus on the flavors and textures of the food. Be present and really appreciate every single bite. This will slow down your eating and help you eat less. And then you won’t feel guilty about eating the foods you love!
Step 3: Nourish yourself with these 8 nutrients.
There are many aspects to each of these soul-nutrients. I am just listing some thoughts in these areas but there are many more things that could be said about them. These should get your thinking:
- Love: Do you love yourself enough to do self-care? Are you worth it?
- Truth: Are you being honest with yourself? Do you really want to change?
- Compassion: Do you have compassion for yourself and all your weaknesses? (remember having weaknesses is part of being human)
- Forgiveness: Do you forgive yourself for past failures and mistakes? Without forgiveness it is hard to move on and change.
- Courage: It takes courage to do something different from everyone else. It takes courage to eat well while everyone is pigging out.
- Commitment: Are you really and truly committed to making a change? Are you ready to truly commit to your health?
- Faith: Believe that you can do this. Without faith in yourself, you most likely will not succeed in whatever you set out to do.
- Surrender: Give in and allow things to be the way they are. Sometimes we have to surrender to our bodies and trust in its wisdom. Sometimes we have to surrender and accept our weaknesses before we can change.
These 8 nutrients feed your soul and therefore feed your body!
Think about each of these and see if you sense an unfulfilled need in one of these areas. Journal about these before the holidays.