You are listening to the Overthinkers Guide to Joy episode 16. This is the one
where I talk about overdoing the holidays. Let's dive in.
Hey there, you are listening to the Overthinkers Guide to Joy. This is a podcast
for overthinkers, overachievers, perfectionists, type A, stressed out,
anxious people who just want to calm down and feel better. I'm your host,
Certified Life Coach Jackie de Crinis.
So if you're listening to this in real time, you are probably knee -deep into your
holiday season. What I refer to as "Tis the season for overdoing." What exactly are
you overdoing? probably anything that you normally do during the rest of the year,
but without the guardrails. If you're a shopper, it's likely that you use the
holiday season to go crazy spending money. Maybe buying gifts for other people, maybe
decorating, throwing parties, or maybe buying things for yourself. If you love to
eat, the holidays are likely to be a time for overindulging in all kinds of
delicious foods. Perhaps it's the ones you know you should avoid, like candy,
cookies, cakes, and pies. Or maybe the holidays are an invitation for some of you
to over -drink. Parties, travel, family get -togethers, stress, fun,
cold weather, it's all kind of a perfect storm for overdoing, over -indulging.
But for those of If you are feeling worried about your patterns, I want to offer
you another option this year. You don't have to make it all or nothing. You can
give yourself the gift of mindfulness this year. You don't have to wait until
January 1st to make New Year's resolutions or to modify your behavior. You can
decide to make small modifications right now. So,
If your issue is food, for example, overeating during the holidays is a real
struggle, especially if you have a sweet tooth. Like I said, candy cookies,
cakes, pies, they're everywhere, and it all looks so good, and it's hard to turn
down, especially if it's like your favorite thing from childhood. But rather than
thinking, "Oh, I'll start my diet in January," or, "Oh, it's just the holidays," or,
"Oh, I have to eat it all now because I won't have it for another year," let go
of that all -or -nothing thinking. Take a beat and ask yourself, "How do I want to
feel? Is that candy, sugar, buttery thing, whatever,
going to make me feel good?" Is the key to not falling down the proverbial rabbit
hole of junk food or overeating is preparation, particularly preparation for holiday
parties. By drinking plenty of water, getting plenty of exercise, eating healthy
throughout the day and never showing up to a party starving is the key to success.
And once you're at the party, simply make the healthiest choices you can. Like for
example, at the appetizer table, take a small plate, load up on veggies if possible,
and add some protein. Even nuts and cheeses are better choices than crackers or
fried foods. Just avoiding flowers, sugars, and fried foods is the best way to lose
and maintain weight. So keeping those foods to a minimum during the holidays will
help you avoid that holiday binge eating. If you're able to bring something to a
party, it's always great to make a vegetable platter, bring hummus, or even
guacamole, just eat it with veggies instead of chips. One of the things is to avoid
absent -minded eating or emotional eating. Just pay attention.
Are you eating out of nervousness? Are you eating trying to comfort yourself from
holiday stress? Or are you eating out of control because you didn't manage your
eating before the party and now you feel like you're past the point of no return?
If there's truly a must have dessert, make sure it's one of a kind or homemade.
Don't waste your fats and calories and carbs and sugars on processed store -bought
desserts. That's another great trick. Now if you find yourself overdoing,
it's not too late. Don't say, "Oh, I've ruined my diet for the season. Oh, I've
ruined my, you know, I've eaten so badly today, I'm just gonna go crazy." Go drink
a glass of water, take a walk. Harvard Medical School did an article in 2017 where
they talked about the overindulgence of holiday foods and drinking. And they agree
that preparation and hydration is the key to avoid overindulging and the key to
mitigating the damage if you've accidentally had a few too many mini egg rolls or a
few too many pigs in a blanket. But for many people, the holidays and parties are
not an over -eating problem. It's actually an over -drinking problem. Now,
whether that's the pressure to drink or the stress of the holidays that make you
feel like you need to take the edge off, or it's simply just an excuse to get
plastered to escape all the other things that are going on, there are alternatives.
And I'm not saying you shouldn't have a drink during the holidays if that's what
you like to do. What I'm suggesting is there's alternatives to overdrinking and
there's alternatives to drinking alcohol, period. Sparkling water with a splash of
cranberry juice is a festive drink and you can dress it up by putting it in a
champagne flute or even a martini glass. There's all kinds of great mocktail recipes
now on the internet, you can Google them. YouTube has amazing recipes and they don't
have to have a ton of sugar. Plus, a martini glass or a champagne flute makes
every kind of drink look festive. But if you really love a cocktail or other kinds
of spirits, just make sure you alternate with plenty of water and be sure to eat
something. If you find yourself with a headache or a hangover, hydration is still
your best friend. all roads lead back to drinking plenty of water. The Harvard
Medical School agrees with me, by the way. So maybe overeating or overdrinking isn't
your thing. Maybe your issue is overspending. Rather than succumbing to the pressure
of the holidays to keep up with the Joneses or to have to buy everybody extravagant
gifts, create a budget, make a list, and advance who you want to buy for and how
much money you want to spend total. And just stick to it. You do not have to buy
expensive gifts for everyone or anyone. It's amazing how often just a simple
Starbucks gift certificate, Amazon gift certificate, or even a homemade gift is way
more useful and loved than something that costs a lot of money that's maybe the
wrong size, color, shape, who knows, but don't feel like you need to overspend.
Same goes if you're hosting dinner parties or holiday parties. Ask people to bring
things. People truly love to help. And you can ask what they want to bring or you
can give them an assignment. And if you've been listening to my podcast for a while
now, you know this means having to address your inner perfectionist,
your inner critic, your inner control freak, your people pleasing self, and start
practicing all the things we've been talking about over the last few months, asking
for help, saying no, setting limits, setting boundaries and practicing self -care.
But really what's interesting is the common denominator between all of the overdoing
habits on the holidays. Eating, drinking, spending. All of these indulgences come with
an emotional root. We tend to overdo as a coping mechanism. It's like an old habit.
It might be an old wound or pattern. It might be a way of managing our own stress
or anxiety or depression. And in the case of eating, as I said, having a healthy
snack before the party, getting exercise during the day, drinking plenty of water
before, during and after a party, and making healthy choices. Mindfully choosing one
or two things that you think will be really worth it, that might be off your
eating plan, or maybe you don't even need it at all. Just stay with the healthy
options and notice how good your body feels. In the case of overdrinking,
deciding how much you drink or how much you want to drink before you go.
If you're the designated driver, maybe you want to nurse one glass of wine all
night or not drink at all. If you're not maybe just refilling your cocktail glass
with sparkling water and a slice of lemon Or maybe limiting your evening to two
drinks. Maybe you just go with mocktails in the case of spending Set a budget When
you're tempted to keep buying gifts for people ask yourself, what's really going on?
Is this coming from a place of guilt or other unresolved feelings about the person
you're buying for or maybe your own self? What if you asked yourself the big,
scary question? Why do I feel the need to keep buying things or spending money?
Once again, having a budget and a list might save you a lot of money and avoid
that credit card hangover in January. But the biggest problem with the holiday season
is the pressure to think that all are nothing mentality. I can't enjoy myself unless
I try everything at the buffet. I only see my family once a year. I don't know
the next time I'm gonna get to have this pizza or that pecan pie or those
chocolate chip cookies, that bagel, this creme brulee, that ice cream, those brownies,
that fudge, or maybe it's thoughts like, but those shoes are on sale and we really
need a bigger television screen or I need that new iPhone right now that urgency
that pressure that all or nothing what is it is it the fear of missing out is it
the fear of not feeling complete is it the fear of just not getting that dopamine
hit that sugar that purchase that buzz What if none of those things were true?
What if you gave yourself just a moment to step away from whatever it is that's
calling you and see if you really still need it or want it? Sometimes just giving
yourself some distance from that next cocktail, that one dessert, or that last minute
purchase that you just have to have, Just that little bit of distance can give you
clarity and it may just quell that desire for that immediate gratification.
And again, I go back to that question. What are you really needing during this
holiday season? Are you needing a break, some rest, some self -care, some quiet time?
Getting in touch with what you need instead of sublimating it with overeating,
overdrinking, or overspending might be the best gift you give to yourself for the
holidays. You may find by making these little adjustments, you start the new year
with a healthier body, a better state of mind, and a little bit more money in your
bank account. And what could be a better gift than that? Alright friends,
that's all I have for you this week. I'm wishing you a happy holiday, whatever or
however you celebrate, and I look forward to talking to you again next week. Stay
safe, stay happy, stay healthy, and bye for now. If you want to learn more tips
about managing your stress and how to manage your overthinking brain, just go to my
website and sign up for my weekly newsletter at jackiedecrinis.com. That's J -A -C -K
-I -E -D -E -C -R -I -N -I -
Thank you for listening to this episode of Overthinker's Guide to Joy. If you like
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