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In this episode of the Podcast, I share 7 tips on how to make Christmas a wonderful time, even if you’re struggling with food and your body.
Christmas is now REALLY around the corner and as most of us are preparing to spend time with our families, loved ones and maybe even some diet-obsessed body shamers, levels of anxiety may be increasing.
However, Christmas doesn’t have to be a stress-fest. In can actually be relaxed, fun and even joyful. As always, you can develop and follow strategies that allow you to deal with any triggers related to food, your body and weight.
Here are my favorite Christmas survival strategies when you are healing your relationship with food and your body.
1. Manage your expectations
What are you hoping is going to happen and are your expectations within reason?
Do you believe that Christmas is only “successful” when you restrict, only eat one piece of pie and half of your plate? Do you believe Christmas must be about everyone getting along brilliantly? Do you think that you have to cook a 5 course meal and bake 13 different kinds of Christmas cookies to impress your mother-in-law and co.?
Are you supposed to be the perfect hostess, daughter, mother, wife? Are you stressed out because of the possibility that your children might fight?
Whatever it is, take a close look at your expectations and if any of those stress you out, choose differently.
2. Tap before, during and after the celebrations
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), or Tapping, is a super effective and easy tool helping you to calm your fears and deeply held anxieties. Tapping is a combination of Chinese acupressure with neuroscience and it’s pretty damn cool.
We tap on specific energy meridians on our body every Friday in the Escape Diet Prison Tribe in order to support our emotional health and unblock long-held fears, negative feelings and even limiting beliefs that keep us stuck and in pain.
Here’s a beginner’s guide to using tapping as a way to find body-confidence and to ground yourself in who you are.
3. Prepare and make a plan
It’s alllll in the planning, isn’t it?
When we go into a situation that can trigger our disordered eating behaviors, we must be prepared. Otherwise our brain will not come up with more helpful and healing coping skills. So, pull out a pen and paper and start to ask yourself these questions:
What worked for you last year? What didn’t work? What triggered you? Who triggered you? How can you keep the usual triggers at bay? How can you plan to deal with the more scary parts? Who can be your ally? Who can you confide in? What are you going to do if you get overwhelmed?
The more detailed your survival plan the better.
4. Focus on what gives you joy during the holidays
What are the fun parts of the holidays? What do you really love about Christmas?
The conversations that go deeper than how much weight certain people need to lose? Your cousins that you only get to see at this time of the year? The gift giving? The carol singing? Watching a certain Christmas movie?
What’s fun?
Focus your attention and energy on that!
5. Give yourself time for yourself
Set boundaries with those who don’t want to give you time for yourself and stick to them. You are allowed to have “me” time, even if especially if everything around you is just a tiny bit too chaotic.
The more you plan in time for yourself the better. Everyone will benefit when your energy is balanced and your self-care cup is full.
6. Remember that your mental health is your top priority
Yes, yes, yes.
There is nothing more important than your mental health, which means that your emotional, psychological, and social well-being matters big time during the upcoming festivities. Your mental wellbeing affects affects how you think, feel, and act. It has obviously also a big impact on how you handle the stresses of the holidays, how you relate to those around you, what choices you make for yourself, your body and your soul. also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.
So stick with your self-care practices and up them if you need.
You can find a list of self-care tools in this Thanksgiving post.
7. Eat what you want
… and let nobody tell you what you should and shouldn’t eat, what foods are “good” and which ones are “bad”, how many calories are in this meal and how many calories you can save if you skip dessert.
Eat what YOU want and listen to your body and cravings as much as you like.
Get a second helping or a third. You are the boss and you know best.
If people talk about dieting, walk away.
If people try to shame you, speak up for yourself.
You cannot control other people and their words and choices, but you can be compassionate and kind towards yourself. So, choose to treat yourself with love and care and let nobody make you feel bad for the food choices you make.
Check out Deb’s blog “We are more than good enough” here.
Love and light,
Enjoyed this episode? Share it with others in your life who MUST listen to it right now.
Thanks for Subscribing to Escape Diet Prison: 
Note: This podcasts is now also available on Stitcher!
P.S. The Escape Diet Prison Tribe is BACK!
To remind you, here’s just a bit of what you get if you join the Tribe (on top of the monthly themes!)
Worksheets, videos and trainings on the following themes:
Princess or Queen? And how these archetypes relate to body image and food
Overeating, Dieting and Binging – The core healing strategies to get out of diet prison
Unbelieving and finding your core
The best practices to build resilience around media messages and our diet culture
Self-Compassion trumps Self-Esteem: Practices to give yourself kindness and care
Feminine & Masculine Energies and how to use them to your advantage
My personal self-care strategies and exactly what I do to stay confident and in love with my body without falling back into the dieting trap
A brand sparking new Journaling 101 eBook!
Meditations and other audio messages.
Weekly EFT Videos and scripts.
Weekly Q&As and so much more!
