Do you find the holidays to be difficult? If so, this video is for you! It’s a Healthy Holiday Survival Guide. Here’s what you can do to not only survive the holidays but to make the holiday season work for you. On TV they portray the holiday season as all about love, giving, and happiness. While this can be true, for many people this just isn’t the case.
The holidays can bring up many emotional issues. Sadness about lost loved ones or due to divorce, and the end of familiar routines. It can bring up anxiety because of difficult relationships in families. And it can bring up difficulties as you start to change your relationship to the holidays. Even if you’ve been living a more healthy lifestyle for a while it can still cause problems. I’ve talked to people who fell off the wagon during the holidays after years of plant-based eating.
When I went vegan it was right before the winter holidays. The traditional foods no longer were a part of my diet. As my cultural and political ideology shifted, the meanings of the holidays also became problematic. I needed to approach these difficulties on three fronts. My family hasn’t changed but now I’m able to enjoy family gatherings anyway.
First was handling the uncomfortable feelings I encountered. I felt like an outsider sometimes, watching the rest of my family bonding together around foods or activities that I no longer wanted to be a part of my life. I still struggle with this to some degree when I am in situations where I’m the only one who eats plant-based, or doesn’t drink. But now I am able to be at peace with these things because I have learned how to honor my feelings and my beliefs and accept and love who I am.
Second was knowing how to find and create alternatives to what what my old normal was. Alternatives, like yummy dessert recipes, that filled void left by the favorite things I had gotten rid of. Here’s some ideas. Learning how to create a different way of enjoying myself has brought much abundance and growth into my life. I discovered so many OTHER ways to celebrate. I am thrilled to attend Kwanzaa festivities and alternatives to Thanksgiving dinners as my circle of people has grown to include more folks who are on a similar path.
Third was learning how to stand firm with what I believe in despite the teasing and temptations I encountered. It is having strategies for staying strong that has kept me on this path for 14 years now. Feeling powerful and clear headed allows me to be prepared for the challenges I may confront.
So check out the video for my suggestions of what you can do in each of these areas to keep you on the path. And then let me know which you most need to focus on this holiday season in the comment below.
Getting support during this time that can be stressful can really help you push through and find a path to wellness in all aspect of your life. Having your own Plant-Based Lifestyle coach will give you the personal support to finally get over the hurdles that have been keeping you stuck.
My Whole And Healthy Framework Focuses on:
- Spirit Food: Connects you to your Inner Power and Purpose so you can Stop the Self Sabotaging Behaviors that are throwing you off track.
- Mind Food: Guides you towards Mastering a Healthier Way of Eating And Living and Ends Your Overwhelm and Confusion about what you should be eating and doing.
- Power Food: Helps you Build Skills for Creating Boundaries and Techniques for Thriving in the Unhealthy World you live in so you Become Unstoppable!
Find out more about working with me here.
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