10 Tips to Survive the Holidays Without Food Anxiety
If you have been a dieter for a long time the holidays might be a tricky time for you.
Here in America, our holiday season from Halloween through New Year’s largely revolves around FOOD.
Candy at Halloween. Big turkey meals and pie at Thanksgiving. Goodies and cookies galore at Christmas.
This is the time of year when the "forbidden foods become more tempting" and it can cause fear and anxiety for dieters and clean eaters alike. Your holiday season does not have to be filled with anxiety around food and fear of weight gain. The holidays are magical and I don't want you to miss out on a moment because food anxiety got in the way. Whether it's parties, family traditions or cookie exchanges you can ditch the anxiety and be present so you can enjoy the holiday season as much as possible.
Here is a list of 10 tips to help you navigate the holidays without food anxiety.
1. Ditch the all-or-nothing mentality.
This is also known as BLACK OR WHITE THINKING and it usually does not serve us well, especially around food.
The all-or-nothing mentality could several different ways when applied to food.
It could be telling yourself not to eat any sugary, fatty or forbidden foods at the party. Or you aren't going to eat anything for that matter and avoid the food altogether even though that dessert looks so good.
Thoughts like this don't make attending party very fun because you might be hyper-focused on food and miss out on friends, family, laughter, and cultivating positive memories.
Remind yourself one night of eating "unhealthy foods" is not going to make you fat or gain weight.
Remind yourself these extremes are not serving you.
Remind yourself you are more than a body (see #10).
2. Practice intuitive eating.
Intuitive eating is an absolute lifesaver in times of fear and anxiety.
If you are new to intuitive eating it is all about tuning into your bodies natural signals regarding hunger, fullness, what foods sound appetizing as well as general self-care.
Practice simple intuitive eating strategies while experiencing anxiety such as eating only what sounds or looks good, stopping if it doesn't taste as good, stopping when you are full, not making any foods off limits in order to prevent a future binge, not shaming yourself about your body or comparing yourself to others.
For more about intuitive eating you can read more in these posts:
How Intuitive Eating Saved My Sanity
3. Say no to dieting.
I talk a lot about not dieting on this blog because it is something from which I have experienced so much hurt and deceit. If you are new here I want to direct you to a few other blogs where I talk all about this in depth.
8 Signs You are Stuck in Diet Mentality
Dieting doesn't work. I know it is the cultural norm, but 95% or more of dieters gain back within a year. Diets make us feel crazy around food. Diets keep us hyper-focused on our bodies and sit the shame of "not being good enough." Dieting during or after the holidays sends a message to your body and mind that you are not good the way you are and you need to change. These thoughts and feelings are going to feel even more anxiety, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating.
Saying no to dieting, clean eating, detoxes or whatever, especially during the holidays will move you closer to body acceptance.
4. Practice self-care.
I know the term self-care gets thrown around a lot these days, but it is for good reason. Self-care is extremely important. Health is not just about what you eat. It also includes your mental health, emotional health, relational health, spiritual health, and physical health.
What are you doing to take care of yourself in the day-to-day? What are you doing to be kind to your body?
Eating regular meals. Showering. Keep your living environment clean and stress-free. Engaging in joyful movement. Nurturing relationships - friendships and partnerships. Take time for yourself. Enjoying hobbies. These are all important and make a huge impact on how you feel about your body and food.
When you take better care you take of yourself it will have a direct impact on reducing the difficulty you might be experiencing around food and your body.
5. Rest.
The holidays are really busy.
When we are super busy and tired we don’t make the best self-care choices then which leaves us not feeling good in our bodies. In order to rest well you may need to say no to a few of the extra parties and celebrations. Saying no is not a bad thing.
Make a list of the events or parties that are really important to you and your family. If you have to say no to others give yourself permission to be okay.
When we are anxious, overwhelmed, and irritable we are more likely to want to control our food and have body image issues. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep per night! Giving yourself the proper time to rest will allow you to have a clear mind and feel better in your body.
6. Tune into how foods actually taste.
This may seem a little silly, but I don't know how many years I went through the holidays eating EVERYTHING even if it didn't look or taste good because I knew in January I would probably be restricting.
Restricting food of any kind likely leads to binging.
If a certain food sounds or looks good try it.
If you try it and it doesn’t taste as good as you thought it would stop eating it. I want to remind you that it's okay to keep food on your plate. It's okay if you don't eat everything. You no longer need to live and die by your mother's "clean plate" rules. Be mindful and pay attention when you are eating. I promise it will make a world of difference.
7. Be present.
There are so many amazing aspects of the holidays to enjoy. I want to encourage you to enjoy all of it!
Relationships.
Family.
Friends.
Food.
Giving.
Gratitude.
Decorating.
Traditions.
Lights.
Parties.
Food is only one aspect so open up and focus on all the wonderful people and events that are going on around you.
If you are feeling anxious or fearful about food at a party or family gathering its okay.
Give yourself permission to feel whatever emotion you are experiencing.
Maybe ask yourself where it might be coming from.
Your feelings are not bad and you don't need to push them down.
These feelings also won't last long and will pass relatively quickly.
Nurture yourself in the way you need using self-care or just taking a few deep breaths and then choose to be present.
8. Divert conversation away from diet and body talk.
Talk about other things that matter to you or to the people you are with. Diet and body talk can be really triggering and shaming for some people. Like I said before there are so many other amazing aspects of the holidays and choose to focus on those instead of being triggered by diet and body talk.
If diet and body talk is brought up gently divert the conversation away by maybe talking about plans for Christmas or what you are most looking forward to during the season.
Find other more meaningful points of connection, you won't regret it!
9. Enjoy your favorites.
Is there a particular dish, type of cookie or drink you just love during the holidays?
My personal favorites are stuffing and mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving and peanut butter blossom cookies at Christmas. I also love anything peppermint and sipping hot yummy beverages of any kind.
We all have favorite foods and food traditions around the holidays. I want to encourage you to enjoy those favorites. Don’t heap guilt and shame on yourself for eating something.
Just enjoy the cookie, pie, pastry, mashed potatoes or whatever it is and move on.
No guilt. No shame. No remorse.
10. Remember you are more than a body.
Food issues often stem from body image issues. We have an issue with our body and we turn to food to try and change or find control.
Remember you are more than a body. Remember food and body issues aren't actually about food and your body. Your value and worthiness do not come from what you look like and what you eat. Begin to explore and find your identity in other aspects of yourself. Write down what you value and when feeling stuck move towards those things.
What other techniques are you going to try when faced with food and body anxiety this holiday season? I would love to hear from you!!
I hope your holiday season is filled with joy, gratitude, and laughter.
Happy Holidays,
Chelsea
Encounter Counseling offers in-person counseling in Grand Junction and online counseling state-wide in Colorado including Denver, Boulder, Ft. Collins and Colorado Springs.