How to Stress Less About Food During the Holidays

The holidays are coming up, and with it, lots of yummy treats and foods we only typically get at this time of year. And with that, maybe you can relate with some fears starting to creep in of how to feel calm and in-control around all of these foods. Maybe you already have your "plan of action" set for the holidays to try and help you not lose all control around the pumpkin pie and sweet potato casserole, or (insert your favorite holiday dish/treat here).I know this time of year can be tough with food. Typically I see women in one of two boats right now...

1. You're like, "What the heck, I've been dieting all year so I might as well throw everything off the curb and just eat with all disregard for health or how I'm feeling." OR...
2. You're afraid of feeling out of control because you've been there before and it's scary, so you add in even more rules around food for yourself to follow right now.

Let me just say, neither of these are very fun places to be. It's not fun to leave a holiday party feeling so uncomfortably full each time with only the promise that you'll diet as soon as January comes around to make you feel any better. It's also not fun to have so many rules around eating that you miss out on all of the other parts of the holidays...the friends, the family, the conversations, the joy of this season.So since you're reading this and you probably are wanting a different approach to food this year, one that is less stressful, I wanted to share some thoughts with you on how to go into this season feeling totally calm around food.And before you say, this isn't for me, calm and food just can't go together for me, yes they can!Stressing less about food during the holidays starts with thinking about your relationship with food even before the holidays roll around. 

How would you describe your relationship with food?

Chaotic?Stressful?Anxious?Binge-y?All or nothing?What would you say? The biggest factor to all of these types of relationships with food is food rules. When we have food rules, basically those terms and conditions for how we think we should eat, our body and our mind does a little freak-out. Rules make us subconsciously worried that food will be scarce, that we may starve in the near future, that the future is uncertain with whether we will be able to eat. This is a primal and totally natural, biological response that helps protect us and keep all of our vital organs working. So even though there may be a ton of food in front of you, the presence of rules around your relationship with food makes your body think it's in a famine. So, the first thing I recommend for feeling totally calm around food is IDENTIFYING FOOD RULES. Identify, do you have any rules around eating on a regular basis? Maybe for you it's "don't eat after 7 PM" or "I'll only eat one serving of carbs at a meal" or "I only eat dessert on weekends". Are there any rules like this lurking in your subconscious? If so and if you're serious about wanting to feel less stressed, more calm, around food this season then the first thing to do is identify those rules.And then, we don't want to just identify the rules. You've got to do something about them. COMMIT TO NO MORE FOOD RULES. I know this can be easier said than done for most people. But if you want to feel calm around food your body has to know that it is safe from potential starvation.The next thing, after committing to no more food rules, is to PRACTICE MINDFUL EATING. Dieting takes us so far away from mindfulness and connection with our bodies, so if you've been ignoring your body's natural signals of hunger, fullness, even satisfaction, for a while that this is going to take practice. So give yourself so much grace here. If you aren't mindful and find yourself overeating, don't beat yourself up! Use it as an opportunity to learn from for next time...I can't stress this enough!Part of mindful eating, but something I wanted to highlight all on it's own is BEING PRESENT. Oftentimes, what leads us to getting to that place of out of control eating and eating more than we'd like, is not being present. When you're in a situation or at a meal where you sense you might have a hard time feeling calm and in control around food, instead of relying on food rules, practice simply being present. Take deep breaths a few times during your meal, check in with how you're feeling before you jump up to get seconds, be present in the conversations going on around you. Being present is a practice, but can be so helpful when your goal is to feel less stress around food. I hope you feel like you can take a deep breath and that you have a plan for how to go into the holidays feeling less stressed around food. Life's too short to miss out on holidays with friends and family because you're worried and stressed about what you're eating and not overeating.And, if you want a deeper dive into everything here and learn more about intuitive eating, I have a free guide called, "Intuitive Eating Playbook" just for you! You can get your free download here!