It can be challenging to stick to a healthy and balanced diet during the holiday season. There’s so much food that isn’t necessarily around the rest of the year.

Large holiday feasts

Platters of cookies, candies and cakes

Buckets of popcorn and bowls of chocolates

But eating more during the holidays isn’t just about the food. Eating can be a quick and easy way to manage stress. I’m not saying it’s the best strategy out there, but it is an effective one.

Eating calms the body and nervous system down and makes us feel good. Why wouldn’t we do that when we’re dealing with endless lists of things to do?

So many women get caught up in a cycle of eating to feel better – especially around the holidays – and they think it’s because they lack will power and self-discipline.

But what if it’s not about that at all?

What if it’s about…

Feeling overstimulated, overwhelmed, overstretched and stressed out

Not sleeping enough

Being too busy to move your body

Needing something to keep yourself going when you’re running on empty

Spending time around people you wouldn’t necessarily choose to be around the rest of the year

What if it’s about the big, uncomfortable emotions that come with all of this, and wanting to feel better, fast?

When you understand that eating is a common way to self-soothe, you can see that emotional eating isn’t the problem – it’s the solution!!

Emotional eating is about wanting to avoid feelings that are difficult and not having a better way of doing that in the moment.

A lot of my clients want to know how to interrupt a self-soothing pattern, like emotional eating, because they always feel so awful after they do it.

 

The only sane and effective solution is to interrupt the pattern before it even begins is to create a Self-Honoring Plan for yourself ahead of time.

 

When you are clear on how you will support and honor yourself throughout the holiday season, so the self-soothing behaviors aren’t even necessary, you get to…

• Feel confident you won’t slide into behaviors you have to hide or recover from
• Truly enjoy yourself – cookies and all – without being afraid 1 cookie will lead to 23
• Know how to show up for yourself because you have self-honoring boundaries in place
• Be fully present for the joyful moments because you’re not numbed out or full of regret
• Share this season with your loved ones and feel fulfilled (instead of depleted) when the New Year arrives

 

History is not destined to repeat itself if you bring more awareness to the present moment and plan ahead for what you’d like to experience instead.

You simply need a Self-Honoring Plan that allows you to care for yourself in beautiful ways.

Who do you want to be this holiday season? The former version of you that was always at war with her body and food?

Or a more vibrant, resilient, and supported version of yourself who knows how to enjoy herself well?

I have a few time slots available for FREE Self-Honoring Plan calls between now and December 23^rd.

Reach out today and book your FREE Self-Honoring Plan call with me here.