It’s almost Halloween! Which means it’s almost Thanksgiving! Which means it’s almost Christmas and Hanukkah! Which means it’s almost New Years!
Side note - are people even still dressing up for Halloween? I’m confused. Let me know.
The holiday season can be a lot of things - fun, celebratory, cozy, exciting etc. For someone who struggles with their relationship with food, it can also be a lot of other things - stressful, scary, anxiety-inducing, filled with restrictions and binges etc.
Even though the holiday season can feel really hard for a lot of people, I find that so many want to wait to work on their health until after the holidays. The idea of a “fresh start” in January feels comforting and logical. The idea of potentially feeling further restricted and not enjoying all of your favorite holiday meals feels scary. The idea of recovering from disordered eating while having to deal with your relatives feels debilitating. I totally get it.
However, there are 3 super important reasons why you should indeed prioritize your physical, mental, and spiritual health NOW, before the holiday season commences! Even if you feel like you’re too busy to “deal with” this now, I promise it will be worth it in the long run. This list could be way longer, but I’ve boiled it down to the top 3 reasons below.
You’re setting yourself up for success. Your relationship with your body and food is about so much more than just feeling guilt free while eating pizza. It’s really about your relationship with yourself - aka the most important relationship in your life! When you decide to prioritize your health now, you are acting out of love for yourself (aka being selfish in the most beautiful way!) and setting yourself up for success. Many people experience self sabotage with food because they might not feel totally worthy or deserving of happiness and love. This is a form of setting yourself up for pain and hurt. So, if you know that your relationship with food and your body is less than stellar, but you’re waiting to do something about it “later”, then you might be subconsciously setting yourself up for a difficult holiday season. When you say yes to your health now, you’re setting yourself up for success in the months (and years!) to come.
You’ll be able to enjoy what’s actually important about the holiday season. Holiday food is amazing, but let’s be real - the holidays are about connection with loved ones! When your health - physical, mental, or emotional - is struggling, it takes up a lot of space in your brain. This is freaking exhausting! Constantly thinking about food, worrying about holiday treats, feeling guilty for skipping the gym etc are blocking you from enjoying what’s actually important about the holiday season. When you prioritize your health now, you’ll begin to put in the work to heal your relationship with fear and stress too! Not only will this help you manage the inevitable family quarrels at all of the holiday gatherings, but you’ll also be able to finally release the obsessive thoughts that are occupying your mind so that you can fully enjoy and live in the moment.
There will never be a perfect time for anything. No matter the season, the time to start something that feels important and aligned is always NOW! There will never be a perfectly ideal time to do anything - if you always wait for that opportunity, it will never come! So, if you’re busy now, you’ll likely be busy after the holiday season too! If now just doesn’t feel like the right time, you’ll likely find another excuse for why January 1 isn’t the right time either. It’s time to step up and step into your potential. You deserve to be obsessed with your life and feel abundant in your health, and the time is here to claim it!
Your health is always at the top of the priorities list, no matter the time of year! Set yourself up for success, release the fear that is holding you back, and say yes to yourself and your potential now. As a gift, I’m offering just 5 complimentary intuitive eating 30 minute sessions to help you kickstart your food freedom journey and outline a personalized plan for you before the holiday season commences. First come first serve, so book your spot now!
And P.S. Please do send me an email or Instagram message to let me know if you’re dressing up for Halloween!