I was invited to a video chat by a lovely coach from New Zealand, Zivana Anderson of Soul River Coaching. She is a gorgeous soul who coaches sexy funny quirky goddesses who wonder what lies beyond the day-to-day hamster wheel. We talked about mindfulness and self-care during Christmas, particularly how to handle emotional eating.
If you struggle with emotional eating, particularly over Christmas, here’s a grab bag of tips, ideas, suggestions, and things to ponder to help you guide yourself through Christmas without a food hangover. Pick and choose ones that appeal to you:
- Try to make yourself first in your life. You can change this at other times of the year, but put more priority on yourself for just a few weeks.
- Try to connect with your body – music, download some guided imagery – and ground into your senses to get out of your head.
- Punctuate the days with rest periods – cups of tea or small breaks. Lie down in the middle of the day if you can. It’s very beneficial for the adrenals.
- Don’t diet! Eat as regularly during the day as you can.
- Think about shifting the meals you can control to low carb alternatives – avoid pasta, breads, etc. when you have the choice.
- Have lots of sparkling water on hand – hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
- Watch how much alcohol you drink, because it makes you drop your defenses, it has calories, and it screws up your sleep – shifting your hormonal factory.
- Think back to trigger times for yourself. What was happening, who was there, what kind of mental and emotional state were you in. Write down a plan for dealing with similar situations.
- Write down your negative thoughts about emotional eating over the holidays and throw them out in the garbage. Things like: I can’t control my eating, I’m no good at this.
- Write down your positive thoughts about eating over the holidays: “When I’m rested I can manage what I eat.” Put those in your purse or wallet and carry them with you over the holidays.
- Enjoy being with family and friends. Stay as long as you’re having a lovely time. Leave when the time the energy is still harmonious. Make the connection your nourishment.
- Try as best as you can to get to bed at the same time every day. Winter is a time of rest for the body. Try to sleep a little bit more than usual.
Wishing you every blessing for a lovely holiday.
Image: Star Mince Tarts by Christmas Stock Images. Licensed under Creative Commons