Four Tips For the Person Stressed About Food During The Holidays

Well, friends, the holidays are officially upon us.
This time of year is typically filled with celebrations, gatherings and plenty of eating occasions. Ample opportunities to spend time with loved ones and delicious food should be joyful, but they can also be stressful! Not to mention our culture has a weird way of trying to manipulate the holiday season — by telling us to “earn” our food or “swap out” our traditional ingredients for healthier ones. And if you want to make some dishes healthier, that’s cool! But if you don’t, that’s certainly okay too. The holiday season will come and go, and you’ll be back to your normal routine before you know it. Here are four tips to navigate food during this time of year.

1. Reframe your language.

Holiday or not, it’s helpful to consider the language you use when talking about food and our bodies. Having a few helpful mantras to use when an uncomfortable thought pops up can be useful in redirecting that thought progression. Remember — the goal is not to never have a negative thought about food or our bodies, but to reframe those thoughts into more productive ones. This blog post gives a few examples. If someone makes uncomfortable statements to you about food, your body or their body, here’s a few examples of how to respond:

• When someone tells you they feel bad about the food they’re eating: “I prefer to think of food as a gift instead of feeling bad about what I’m eating.”
• When someone asks if you’re on a diet or implies you should be: “In the past I’ve gotten a little too preoccupied with X. Do you mind if we talk about something else?”
• When someone makes an insensitive diet or body statement: *Walk away*
• When someone tells you they recently lost weight/finished a Whole30, etc: *Thinks: “Good for them, not for me”*
• When someone tells you how little they’ve eaten today: “Are you doing ok? I know what it’s like to struggle with food choices. I’m here for you.”
• When a friend body shames herself: “I’ve found hating my body didn’t get me anywhere, so I’m working on accepting it.”

2. Say “no” to the food police.

Leave your judgement at the door, and try to be present with those around you. Catch yourself if you begin to categorize food as “good” or “bad” — instead try to look at food neutrally, even joyfully, during a time of year that should be celebrated. (And if this feels extra hard, I see you. You can do this.)

3. Set boundaries.

If social media is not helpful for you, you don’t have to use it during this time of year. If you opt to use it, make sure your feed is full of people who lift you up — not people you find yourself comparing yourself to or people who tout the “you have to earn/burn off your food” mentality. 

4. Remind yourself you can do hard things.

The holidays will come and go just like the rest of the year. If the holidays are extra hard, sit with that. This too shall pass. I hope you’ll be able to spend time with loved ones (or get some quality alone time!) during these last few months of the year. Regardless, you can do hard things, and step by step you can improve your relationship with food and your body.