Amidst the challenges of this year, we’ve been grateful to continue growing the Elevate family, and as the year comes to a close, we’re thrilled to welcome Jennifer Hawkins, Certified Life Coach to the team.
Jennifer will be offering Food Freedom and Mindset Coaching at Elevate, providing a support system for many who struggle with restrictions, destructive behaviors, or concerns that interfere with their ability to enjoy life fully.
As an introduction to the services she offers, Jennifer is sharing her advice on ways to mitigate the holiday eating blues with us. Continue reading below.
Avoid the Holiday Eating Blues
The holidays are a time for celebration: the lights, music, (usual) gatherings, and of course, the undeniable festive spirit we find ourselves infused with during these weeks.
Alongside the festivities, however, we may find ourselves feeling the equal weight and stress of the season: the pressure of buying the perfect gift, wrapping presents, fitting all the family gatherings into your already tight schedule (well, not this year), and of course — “gasp!” — the food.
Oh, the food! Everywhere you turn at this time of year, it seems like there’s food ready to tempt us into a sugar-induced coma. For calorie-conscious individuals, stress begins to build with these unwanted temptations. The diet culture teaches us to persevere through the season, avoiding overindulgence and any enjoyment of the food we do consume, leading us to feel guilty about our decisions.
I used to be the one that would avoid excessive holiday gatherings. I would flake on parties purely to avoid the temptation to overeat, and throw away treats that someone worked hard on making for my family and me. I dreaded holiday food because I had become obsessed with preventing weight gain.
“Guilt comes from what we do versus what we think we should be doing.”
I am now able to manage and transform this way of thinking by altering my mindset. You see, life is all about balance. I’m conscious that time is too short to spend worrying about how many desserts I’ve eaten, or calories I’ve consumed.
Life is about enjoying the Christmas food in moderation but without the unordered side of guilt.
Guilt comes from what we do versus what we think we should be doing. It’s very easy to eat Christmas treats that we’ve been conditioned to think of as ‘bad’, and by doing so, we set ourselves up to believe we’ve done something wrong. It’s this exact way of thinking that can ignite the holiday eating blues. As we restrict ourselves, naturally, we begin to want more of that thing.
If we can reposition our mindset to view treats as something to be enjoyed in moderation as part of a family gathering or dinner, they cease to be a taboo subject, but something to be enjoyed. Thus, we diminish the cycle of destructive thinking.
Yes, we need to eat to fuel our bodies with energy. We need to eat consciously and well in order to feel good, both mentally and physically. For some, it can take considerable work to alter the mindset that it’s not the food that’s the enemy, instead, it’s the guilt that’s the demon on our shoulder. Food guilt is a holiday downer and should be eliminated from your diet immediately!
As we end one of the most challenging years for all of us, give yourself the gift of ultimate food freedom with some personalized coaching! Weight concerns can be managed by some, but for others, food obsession, food fear, and weight obsession interfere with living our lives!
Let food freedom coaching bring back the joy into yours — learn how to break down and eliminate your negative actions around food in 2021 by committing to a new journey, supported personally by me.