I have seen various social media posts about Thanksgiving, eating and body image. I have to admit that it makes me sad that so many people worry and stress over the holidays when it comes to how they feel about themselves and what foods they eat. This time of year can be challenging for so many people. I wanted to focus on some positives around this holiday season and less on how many calories are on your plate. Listed below is my Thankful List and hopefully these reminders will help you feel more thankful this holiday season and help alleviate some of that stress.
Thankful List
You have an opportunity to get together with family and friends and loved ones. Lots of times we are stressed about all the commitments we have during this time of year, but let’s try to look at this as a positive vs. a negative. The fact that you have people in your life that want to see you and spend time with you is a blessing! That is worth celebrating. If you have children, then that is an opportunity for your children to get to know their relatives and close friends.
Celebrate and enjoy holiday foods. This can often be a huge stress for people who are trying to watch what they eat and often there is a guilt that comes with over-indulgence. Let’s remove that stress and not get caught up in feeling bad for eating foods that we get to encourage once a year. Enjoy the food and the time around the table. Don’t stress about the calories in the pie, but enjoy that piece and savor each bite. This diet culture we find ourselves in day after day can beat us down and take that enjoyment away from food. We are social creatures and food is a time to socialize. If you have children, demonstrate that enjoyment of food and socializing around the table. Try all the dishes and show them how to expand their tastes and be adventurous.
Focus on the memories. Time cooking in the kitchen, eating at the table, playing football in the yard or watching a parade are all cherished memories. Focus on those things and work to create more positive memories for yourself and for your family. When your children grow up, they won’t remember if you ate the pie or not, they are going to remember taking the time to bake that pie with you in the kitchen and spending that quality time with you.
Share the love. Again, it is so easy to get down on ourselves, compare ourselves with others and feel like we are doing a good enough job. Give yourself some grace, enjoy the moments and share love with yourself and those around you. I know it sounds cliche, but this time of year should be focused around giving back and sharing that love with our neighbors. We shouldn’t be angry that someone can’t fly in for the meal or grouchy that we ate one too many cookies.
Hopefully you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy the time with family and friends!