Hopefully, for you, the holidays are a time for connections, happiness, and joy. However, they can also be a challenging time if your family, friends, or social gatherings trigger emotions stress, and anxiety around food and your body.
It's okay to set boundaries with family members who don't support your intuitive eating journey and desire to undiet your life.
Undieting is a process of letting go of food rules and rigid exercise routines. This process can trickle into other areas of your life like work, friendships, and intimate relationships - especially if they create extra stress around food and body image.
How can you reclaim happiness and joy this holiday season and still practice intuitive eating? By setting a couple of boundaries (or more).
It's okay to decline traditional holiday gatherings if trigger anxiety and stress. Find joy in making new traditions - maybe with different friends or family members.
It's also okay to search for holiday happiness and joy even in challenging, unhappy circumstances.
Let's dig into the definition of happiness and joy more deeply.
According to my guest on this week's episode of the Savor Food and Body Podcast, happiness is a binary construct. You're either happy or you're not. Joy, on the other hand, is an embodied experience. It's a physical sensation you feel in your body.
In our conversation about happiness and joy you'll hear:
Dr. Sethi leaves you with a few tools described in her book that you can use to activate your vagus nerve of the nervous system and help cultivate Joy.
Get show notes and additional resources on my website www.alpinenutrition.org
While you're there, download the free guide The Top 5 Foods for Women Over 40.
If you're ready to break free from dieting without the confusion of how to eat healthy in midlife, get on the waitlist for my small group counseling program.
Finally, if you like what you heard, subscribe to the show, leave a review, and share the episode with a friend!