The holidays can truly a special time of year filled with celebrations, family gatherings, and traditions. This time can also bring not feeling your best, self-criticism, and can be overwhelming and hard to navigate.
Here are some of our big tips to navigate this holiday season and without depriving yourself of connecting with family and friends:
Maintain a balanced diet through the season
Stop saving up your calories! When you starve yourself all day it is almost guaranteed there is a binge around the corner leaving you feeling stuffed and sick.
Ask yourself if you’re hungry
Perhaps your hunger is masking as a feeling of anxiety or the stress of the holidays, your to-do list, or other factors.
Make Swaps
If you are going to a loved one’s home or staying in this year, pick a recipe where you can swap out ingredients or make a recipe that is healthy that you love and brings you joy. I bet you’re not the only one worried about this time of year and the impact on your mind and body. You don’t need to suffer in silence. Take responsibility for your health by making powerful choices rather than people please. If you have a recipe and want to learn how to swap out the ingredients, email me the recipe at nikki@naowellness.com and I’d love to help you.
Let go of a limiting mindset
Give yourself permission to enjoy one serving or share a slice with a family member. If you can’t decide and simply are trapped in your head, pause and do some breathing. Let the anxiety calm down so you can think more clearly then your intuition will open up.
Recreate your favorite family holiday dish
If you’re not spending this holiday season near your loved ones, recreating your favorite family holiday dish can be nourishing to your soul and spirit.
Share your leftovers
Leftovers can be triggering: after days of eating holiday classics and sweets, getting back to your regular routine might be needed. Try sharing your leftovers with family, friends, or even donating to a local shelter.
Make a plan
Making a meal plan with whoever you are sharing the holidays with can allow you to have some more ease and grace this season. Instead of fearing the unknown, you can plan out ahead of time what you need to bring or what swaps to make.
Mindful drinking
It’s easy to drink way to much over the holidays. It may calm your nerves in the moment (a few hours) but drinking too much can also lead to a case of the ‘F-it’s’ as well as not feeling so great the next day which can further trigger feelings of anxiety and depression. Go in with a plan to drink slowly and alternating water or seltzer with your favorite drink.
Make time for yourself out of the kitchen
During the holidays, food is everywhere. This can lead to grazing all day and a case of the fuck its later on. Getting out of the kitchen and making time for yourself is so important! So go ahead and go on that walk or take a bath when you have the time.
Honor your sleep
When we are sleep deprived, everything goes out the window. So in a time where we might need a little extra courage, make sleep a priority.
Consistently mediate
Even if it’s only 5 minutes, you will notice a difference and allow more ease and grace into your holiday season.
Move your body
Empower yourself to think of moving your body as a sign of self-care or a mood booster, rather than making up for the food you ate last night.
Move a muscle, change a thought
Choose one thing you will do differently this year and get support around it.
