Stel Coombe Heath Wholesome Lifestyle Project
Whether it’s your annual visit to grandma’s house or a holiday party, food is a big part of the season. Here are some tips for how to prevent emotional eating during the holiday season:
The biggest challenge of holiday parties and events is that they bring with them an abundance of delicious food. This often leads to over-indulgence, and sometimes emotional eating.
When you’re surrounded by holiday cake and cookies, it can be easy to think that it’s okay to eat a little more than usual—or even to eat food you don’t normally eat. You may find yourself overindulging in these dishes when they are offered freely by well-meaning hosts who want everyone to enjoy themselves.
To avoid this trap, try not to be afraid or embarrassed about saying no if any foods or drinks appear on your plate that aren’t part of your regular diet—and don’t feel obligated to finish anything just because it was given to you!
The holidays can be a time when people feel particularly emotional, and with so many events on the calendar, it can be hard to keep track of how you’re feeling. Emotional eating is when we fill our emotions with food, whether it’s a response to the experience of over-eating or a coping mechanism to deal with stressful, emotional or anxiety-inducing situations.
There are plenty of reasons why someone might find themselves indulging more than usual during this time of year: the pressure to get everything done before Christmas; spending time with family members who don’t understand your health concerns; stress from work or school deadlines that haven’t been met yet; being away from home for too long; etc. But if you notice yourself eating more than usual this holiday season (even after taking steps toward healthy habits), then it’s likely time for some self-care!
Self-care is any activity that helps you look after your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. The purpose of self-care is to help you stay healthy mentally, physically and spiritually.
Self-care can be any number of things: it can be taking a break from work, going for a walk in the park or doing something creative like drawing or painting your favourite animal. It could also mean recharging by listening to music on headphones at lunchtime; going out with friends after work; meditating before bedtime; seeing a therapist or talking to someone close about how you’re feeling. It’s about looking after yourself rather than focusing solely on other people all the time.
Self-care is an essential component of physical, mental and spiritual well-being. It can be as simple as taking time for yourself each day to do something you enjoy or engaging in a hobby you enjoy. Many people find that being active is a great way to combat stress and anxiety, so go for a walk or exercise at least once per day if possible.
Other self-care activities include meditation, reading or listening to music that makes you happy, spending time with friends and family members who make you feel good about yourself (and those who don’t), using essential oils like lavender around the house, getting enough sleep every night—whatever feels right for your body! Some examples of things we do during our weekly self-care routine:
- Get up early every morning at 7am to meditate before work
- Take Vitamin D supplements daily because I don’t get much sun exposure
- Try new foods each week because they’re healthy but also fun!
If you want to make the most of your self-care efforts, it’s important to keep track of your moods and food intake in a journal for several weeks before your holiday events even start. Try to see if there are any patterns or correlations between mood and food intake. If you find that there is a correlation between mood and food intake, make note of it. You can use this information later when creating plans for how to combat emotional eating during the holidays.
When you find yourself emotional eating, it’s important not to add guilt or shame. Say to yourself calmly, “I’m leading to food right now, I wonder what might be bothering me and what does my body really need?”
Once you’ve calmed down, take five deep breaths. Breathe out through your nose as slowly as possible, then count backward from ten by ones. Then breathe in through your nose as slowly as possible and count up from one by ones. If this exercise feels too intense, start with counting down from 10 by fives instead of all the way back down to 1.
After taking some time to center yourself, try these other strategies:
As you slow down and become fully aware of what your body really needs, you’ll be able to more effectively combat stress and reorient yourself toward choosing foods that are as emotionally satisfying as they are physically delightful.
- Use a food and mood journal.
- Identify emotional eating triggers.
- Use self-care to prevent emotional eating.
Conclusion
It’s important to remember that emotional eating is a normal part of the human experience. However, it should not be used as an excuse for self-destructive behavior or poor health choices. It’s also just as important to avoid guilt and shame about these feelings because they can lead you down a dangerous path as well! Keep in mind that when you feel like you’re struggling with an addiction, it’s time to seek professional help from someone who knows what they’re doing—not just any doctor will do.
P.S If your relationship with food is feeling a little off this holiday season, I highly recommend tracking how food affects your mood. This can help you understand your eating habits and can be a small act of self-care in the month of February.
My food and mood journal is designed to help you understand your eating behaviours and ultimately restore a loving relationship with food.
You can get a copy of the food and mood journal here https://wholesomelifestyleproject.com/work-with-me/shop/
