Handling Stress Eating Over the Holidays
Holidays are always talked about as the most happiest days of the year. But for some, holidays can provoke a significant amount of stress. For those who struggle with food and their body navigating holidays can be especially challenging since our society places such a strong emphasis around food.
Read on to learn my favorite tips for navigating stress and the obnoxious diet talk over the holidays!
Stress itself can cause biological mechanisms that affect the way we eat. Commonly, our desire to eat gets turned off from the rush of adrenaline that is produced during stressful times. However, studies have found that people who have been dieting are especially vulnerable to overeating when feeling stressed.
Stress is one of many emotional reactions felt during the holidays. This time of the year can stimulate many mixed emotions that can leave some feeling overwhelmed. It is common to reach for food out of comfort because it is easier and we get an immediate pleasure reward response. Food is often used as a coping mechanism to temporarily distract or numb overwhelming emotions or fulfill an unmet need.
The good news is that emotional eating is normal and it is one of many ways to navigate those stressors.
What is the best way to start? Intentionally plan a form of self-care daily. This can be big or small. Here are some of my favorite ideas to get you started:
begin a gratitude journal
talk to text on your phone about your daily stressors before you go to bed or start your day out with talk to text to get out what you know you want to accomplish
light stretching/yoga
search for free guided meditations
deep breathing exercises
warm bath or shower
taking a walk; even if your brain is trying to convince you it is too cold you may be surprised how good it feels to bundle up just for around the block
scream into a pillow
get creative through art: draw, paint by number, adult coloring books, etc.
get a massage
call or connect with a friend
Next up, handling the dreaded diet talk at gatherings. Where there is an abundance of food, there is usually talk about dieting and the body. Especially when the new year is approaching. This topic can be hard to avoid when seeing friends and family members who you haven’t seen for a while. This can be hard to navigate as someone working to improve your relationship with food and your body. Unfortunately, we cannot control other people’s thoughts and opinions on dieting and body talk. However, you can manage how you respond to them.
Here are a few tips on how to set boundaries to unwarranted diet/body talk:
Replay with compassion: not many people are aware of how hurtful and triggering diet/body talk can be to others. Try to approach the conversation with compassion and understanding that their comment may not have been meant to be harmful.
Use Humor: responding with humor can often lighten the mood and almost always return a positive reaction. However, this is highly specific on the comment/conversation. Try to be appropriate and respectful.
Be direct, or redirect: if you wish to not participate in the conversation you can respond in specific ways to communicate this. You can redirect the conversation by changing the subject, or be direct in the conversation by letting them know that comment made you uncomfortable. (Disclaimer: being direct can sometimes catch people off guard and make them uncomfortable)
Direct response examples:
“My body is not a topic of discussion”
“What and how much I choose to eat is none of your business”
“I’m focusing on my health, not my weight”
“I am eating _____ because I enjoy ______”
“I have no interest talking about ______”
Redirect response examples:
“I actually do not diet anymore, so I don’t think I can be much help; but how are the kids?”
“I am not actively trying to lose weight, but didn’t you just start a new job? How is that going?”
“I don’t believe in off limit foods, but how is your new hobby going?”
Turn the conversation into a learning experience: educate the person who made the comment on why diet/body talk can be harmful. You can do this by approaching them later and pulling them aside to make the environment more comfortable for both of you. This can be a time to share your journey on intuitive eating and finding food freedom if you are comfortable.
This holiday season, vow to take as good of care of yourself as you take care of those around you. Self care is not selfish, it is a necessary tool and skill that every person should have to live their most vibrant, best lives. What self care activity are you most looking forward to starting?
