By the time that you read this post, I will be on a fourteen hour car ride to the Midwest to spend the holidays with our families. The trip itself is stressful and then dividing time between homes and being out of own space also adds to it. Then there are different personalities and “issues”. Add poor weather conditions that made driving difficult and keep us cooped inside and feels like a set up for a week of overeating. I think most of us can relate to holiday stress. We can control some of the stress in our life but some stress is beyond our control. We will always have stress in our lives so learning healthy coping mechanisms is a good tool to have. Here are a few ideas to deal with the extra stress over the holidays and ways to comfort yourself without food.
1. Much of the stress that we feel over the holidays is the fact that we are trying to do too much with too little time. For example, one thing that I streamlined my holiday card list so I sent about half of the cards by e-mail. It was wonderful to get an e-mail back from my friends and family. It saved a lot of time also!
2. Simplify! Why do we have to make things so complicated? As I was unpacking holiday decorations, I only got out some of the decorations and just focused on the ones that really make me happy. It keeps the house less cluttered so there is less to dust and take down later. I went in the yard and cut evergreen branches to add some scent and color.
3. Don’t get involved in the family drama. If someone knows how to push your buttons, don’t feel that you have to react how they want. Think ahead of time how you can respond in a positive way to deflect any tension so you can have the maximum amount of enjoyment this season.
4. Use healthy coping skills. Instead of eating or drinking your cares away, do something productive. Take a walk, call a friend that you have not talked to in awhile, bring some holiday joy by volunteering or doing something extra special for someone you love. Listen to relaxing music or read a book. I love to do a handy craft.
5. If you feel that you still have a need for some munchies, make them healthy, crunchy and bulky. Think salad, a fruit or veggie tray. You don’t have to order one from the deli, make your own on a favorite holiday platter. The more veggies you fix, the more that you eat and the fuller you will feel.
6. Keeping track of your weight for the holiday challenge can help you feel successful in some areas of life when others feel out of control. You can do it! We are almost there. Stay tuned next week as we plan a few snacks for the new year, meal ideas for a lucky New Years celebration and a few ideas on alcohol consumption.
Hope the remaining days of your holidays are heart warming and healthy!
Denise
