What Causes Holiday Stress?
Erin Cooper
Certified Wellness Coach| ?? Specialized in Implementing Chronic Gut Health Concerns with a Natural, Wholistic Approach??
During the holidays, we tend to put extra pressure on ourselves. Why? Each year we are constantly bombarded with "idealistic" versions of what the holidays should be. Whether it's your best friend that just shared with you her grand plans for the kids this year, or your favorite holiday movie that reminds you of what the holidays truly mean. It all adds to the stress that things have to be a certain way for it to "feel" like the holidays.
As a Certified Wellness Coach, my clients are constantly sharing with me their stress related to maintaining a healthy gut during the holiday. The pressure to let themselves indulge and then the overwhelming sense of regret after they do indulge can actually cause them to fall off of their long-term plan completely. So to keep them on track, I recommend that they don't count calories, or track their macros, but instead follow the 12 bad foods. If they stay away from the 12 bad foods then they can eat whatever they want ( just during the holidays of course). So what are the 12 bad foods? They include foods such as wheat, barley, rye, oats, fried foods, etc. By staying away from the 12 bad foods, they are still maintaining a healthy gut.
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Another issue I've come across is teaching my clients the power of "No". The power of?"No", is crucial in staying focused on your goals while?still enjoying the holidays. For instance, I teach my clients to set boundaries, by taking an honest look at their current commitments and deciding upfront, how many activities they are willing to participate in this holiday season. Once they have committed to 1,2,3, or whatever their desired number of commitments are, then they can no longer take on any new activities or engagements. This way, they don't feel overwhelmed by all of the requests on their time, they know when they will need to make up those missed workouts, and they can still say "yes" to some activities without feeling like a Grinch. Plus, if someone asks them to participate but they can't because they have already met their limit on activities this season, then they can use that as their excuse.?
Remember, the holidays are a time to just enjoy the moment.?