So, you’ve been working on healing your relationship with food, and you’ve been dabbling with the intuitive eating principles – then wham! The holidays hit you right in the face.

We’ve all experienced it…you deny yourself your favorite foods and you end up craving them EVEN MORE. This in turn leads to the stress and guilt that we so often associate with eating these “forbidden foods.” And lets face it, most of your holiday favorites are probably on your “forbidden foods” list (We will work on smashing that list later)

Going into the holidays with an intuitive eating mindset can help you avoid the dieting roller coaster and can help keep you in a more forgiving space with food and body. In turn, this will help decrease stress and keep your mood stable (hell, we all need that this time of year)

HERE ARE FIVE WAYS TO SURVIVE THE HOLIDAYS LIKE A BOSS USING AN INTUITIVE EATING MINDSET

1. GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION

For many, this is a huge step. If you have the capacity to do so, permission can be a powerful and liberating thing. Give yourself permission to have the foods you love, and leave behind the ones you don’t. Give yourself permission to rest. Give yourself permission to enjoy one more glass of wine with your loved ones. And for god sake EAT THE DESSERT.

2.SET AN INTENTION FOR THE HOLIDAY

What do you want to get out of this day? Some examples are: I will be present and in the moment with my loved ones. I will make time for myself. I will practice self compassion. I will allow myself to experience pleasure (including from food) without judgement. I will nourish myself with satisfying meals and snacks.

3. RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO RESTRICT LEADING UP TO THE HOLIDAYS

When our bodies feel the threat of scarcity (i.e. starvation from a evolutionary perspective)- even if that is in the form of intentional restriction- our bodies will look to protect us through eating more to compensate. Even the mere thought or consideration of restricting is enough for us to overeat during the “main event” Keep eating like you normally do, the extra calories won’t kill you, I promise.

4. REALIZE THAT NORMAL EATING IS FLUID

This means that our bodies are very resilient and can handle fluctuations in our eating! A single meal or a day (or week) of eating more indulgent foods and not being in our usual workout routine is not going to make a difference in your weight or health in the long run!

5. GIVE YOURSELF GRACE

GRACE isn’t only to be said before you eat. LET IT GO GIRL! Allow yourself to enjoy this special time with your friends, family and loved ones. This season is all about creating memories, don’t allow your brain and conscious to be filled with counting calories. Sit back, relax, and have a second helping of stuffing. You deserve it.

If navigating food around the holidays has been problematic in the past, I want you to know that you are not alone. Diet culture has robbed us of being able to enjoy the holidays, instead making us feel bogged down with stress and worry about food. Here’s to using an intuitive eating mindset to help you take back the enjoyment of the holidays. You are so worth it!