6 Ways to Handle Your Holiday Season

  The holidays are such an insane time of year.... or rather all year. It seems as though there is ALWAYS something to have a holiday over nowadays! However I would like to focus on the major ones that fall from September to January. This period of several months brings in much stress, thrown off schedules, over-eating and bad habits resurface, delayed self-care, and money spent we don't have/want to spend. Many of us struggle during this time of year. As we come a close on it I would like to encourage you to keep a few things in mind as you move into 2021. 

1. Do not put yourself in debt for others and things. 
I find so often around, especially the Christmas season, individuals will drop their self-care routines to buy things for others they don't actually need or want. I often see others complain when they do get the thing they wanted, "Oh, it's great.... I just wanted the green one not the purple one and my size is wrong!" Okay..... take it back, don't be ungrateful. Why waste money on those who are not grateful for even the thought of wanting to purchase them a gift?

2. Spend your time wisely.
This holiday season I had many clients share their stresses about the holidays with me and they ALL involved seeing family members they don't enjoy spending time with, being in situations with family members that stress them out, or being around anyone they just don't want to give time to. So why do we do it? We were programmed and trained to feel terrible if we aren't spending the holidays with our families and loved ones. This is so untrue. If someone makes you feel terrible and stresses you out, cut that toxicity out. 

3. Family are the people you choose to keep around you, your relatives are just that. Blood relatives. 
As someone who comes from the most loving and accepting family I have ever met, this is so important. My parents taught me at a young age that your family is not just those who are blood relatives, they are the individuals we keep around as our main support system. These are the people we should be surrounding ourselves with through the holidays. 

4. Self care should never waiver during the holidays!
Over the holiday season so many worry about their weight and how they will manage their diets. If you continue your normal routines and incorporate your holidays appointments and shenanigans into your daily routine then you will be more present for them. You will be more energized and able to be in the moment. When we take a bird-walk away from our normal routines we become anxious, stressed and worrisome. If you are the person waiting on someone to finish their gym routine, meditation or other self care item and you tell them they do not need it..... they do not need you. This brings me to my next helpful point..... 

5. Be understanding a patient. It's not YOUR life. 
You cannot control what others will do. It is their life, let them live it. If someone in your life would like to start their Christmas morning at 5am with a gym workout and THEN come over... odds are you aren't awake at 5am so let them do their thing! They are most likely letting you do yours. Be patient with people and their own routines. Be understanding that that is not your life you are only a part of theirs. And because THEY allowed you to be. Family or blood relative we should all feel grateful for those in our lives and respect THEIR daily routines and daily norms. 


6. An extra plate is not the end of the world. 
So many individuals fret over having too much food or an extra slice of pie over the holiday season. Pro tip? Don't! Your body is a machine, it needs food as fuel. What you do with that fuel is what you should be concerned with. If I have another brownie, or a second plate because I still feel hungry I workout a little harder. Add just an extra ten minutes to my cardio. The food you ingested is nothing more than fuel. You should not feel bad about the occasional holiday indulgence. If you are on a fitness and wellness journey, do not beat yourself up or restrict yourself. This causes hormonal changes that create stress, water and fat retention, and secretion of cortisol and norepinephrine. All things we want to avoid for the holidays so we can enjoy it better. 


  When next holiday season rolls around in 2021 I hope you follow these few and simple tips to help you through the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. We never need to fret, stress, or burnout for another or even ourselves. 

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