Reclaim Your Holiday Joy: How to Manage Sugar, Stress, and Spending
As the holiday season approaches, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the pressures and temptations around us. Three common pitfalls— sugar cravings, stress, and overspending —can steal the joy we so desperately want to experience. But there’s good news: with some simple strategies, you can regain control and approach the holidays with peace, health, and joy. You can manage your health, stay stress-free, and keep your budget under control while still enjoying the season.
Let’s dive into three key areas—sugar, stress, and spending—and discover practical tips for reclaiming your holiday joy.
1. Sugar: How to Break Free from Holiday Cravings
The holidays bring an abundance of sugary treats—cookies, pies, and candies that tempt us at every turn. It’s hard to avoid indulging, and before long, we find ourselves trapped in a cycle of sugar highs and lows. We get trapped on a blood sugar roller coaster: a temporary high followed by a crash, which leaves us craving even more sugar. The more we feed the cravings, the more they control us.
To break free from this cycle, we can use the concept of the Polarity of Food. Food isn’t just fuel for our bodies; it also has energetic properties that affect how we feel. For example, sugar and other expansive foods (like alcohol and caffeine) give us a temporary “bliss,” but they’re followed by a sharp decline in energy. On the opposite end, contractive foods (like red meat and salty snacks) can leave us feeling heavy or tense. Neither extreme is ideal, especially during the holidays.
So, what’s the solution? Balance. The key is to focus on foods that fall in the middle of this polarity spectrum—foods that help stabilize your energy and cravings. These include:
Poultry and Fish
Root Vegetables (carrots, beets, sweet potatoes) and Beans
Whole Grains (quinoa, brown rice, oats)
Leafy Greens (spinach, kale, arugula)
Fruits and Nuts
Imagine enjoying a holiday meal with a balance of these foods. A delicious lentil soup with kale, a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread, or a fresh green salad with apples and almonds. These meals are not only nutritious, but they also help stabilize your blood sugar, keeping you satisfied for longer and reducing the urge to reach for another sweet.
Can you still indulge? Absolutely! Enjoy a holiday cookie or piece of pie, but by incorporating balanced foods into your meals, you'll be in control—not the sugar. When you’re in control, you can enjoy the holidays without feeling guilty or overwhelmed by unhealthy choices.
Bonus Tip: The concept of polarity doesn’t just apply to food, it also applies to your activities. If you’re caught in contractive activities—like too many holiday obligations, stressful family dynamics, or overworking—you may find yourself craving expansive foods like sweets, wine, or chocolate. Instead, balance those contractive activities with more expansive ones: taking a relaxing bath, enjoying a quiet walk, practicing prayer or meditation. This will help you stay grounded and avoid using food as an emotional crutch.
2. Stress: Easy Ways to Manage Holiday Anxiety
The holidays and stress often go hand-in-hand, but stress doesn’t have to dominate your season. Even if you’re feeling maxed out, there are small, practical steps you can take to cope with the stress and stay healthy. The goal isn’t to eliminate stress completely—let’s face it, that’s not realistic. Instead, we’re aiming for small improvements. A 1% reduction in stress might not seem like much, but it can make a big difference in how you feel and how well you enjoy the season.
First, let’s get real about what stress does to our bodies:
Increased cortisol production: This stress hormone is linked to weight gain, especially in the belly, and premature aging.
Decreased nutrient absorption: Stress reduces the body's ability to digest and absorb nutrients, which can lead to digestive issues, nutrient deficiencies, and a weakened immune system.
Increased salt retention: This can lead to high blood pressure and fluid retention.
Decreased thyroid and sex hormones: This affects your metabolism and can lead to low energy and libido.
So, how do we combat stress? One powerful tool is Heart-Focused Breathing. This simple yet effective technique can instantly help calm your mind and body. Here’s how you do it:
Sit comfortably and focus your attention on your heart. Imagine your breath flowing in and out of your chest area.
Breathe slowly and deeply, finding a comfortable rhythm.
Now, bring to mind a positive, renewing feeling—something that fills you with gratitude or love. It could be a memory of time spent with loved ones, a walk in nature, or the peace of a quiet moment.
As you breathe, allow those positive emotions to fill your heart and radiate throughout your body.
Heart-Focused Breathing not only brings a sense of peace but also changes the physiology of your body. It lowers your heart rate, reduces cortisol levels, and shifts your mindset. You can use this technique when holiday stress feels overwhelming, or anytime you need to regain your emotional balance.
3. Spending: Smart Budgeting Tips for the Holidays - Mastering Mindful Decisions
Overspending is another common holiday challenge. Between gifts, decorations, and events, it’s easy to stretch your budget too far, leading to stress and financial regret. However, you can avoid this trap by making mindful financial decisions with the help of a simple decision-making tool.
Here’s how it works:
1. Identify your decision: For example, deciding whether to purchase an expensive gift for a loved one.
2. Step into choice A: Imagine yourself making the purchase. How does it feel? What are the financial and emotional implications?
3. Step into choice B: Now, imagine not making the purchase. How do you feel? What are the consequences of this decision?
4. Return to neutral: After exploring both choices, reflect on which one aligns with your long-term goals—both emotionally and financially.
By physically and mentally walking through each decision, you can avoid impulsive spending and make choices that keep your budget in check, without sacrificing holiday joy.
Reclaim Your Holiday Joy
You deserve a season filled with peace, health, and joy—not one overshadowed by sugar cravings, stress, and financial worries. By using these simple strategies—balancing your diet, practicing stress-relief techniques, and making mindful spending decisions—you can reclaim your holiday joy and thrive this season.
And if you're ready for even more tools to navigate the season with grace and happiness, join me for my upcoming workshop, Reclaim Your Holiday Joy: How to Manage Sugar, Stress, and Spending on November 14th. We'll dive deeper into these strategies and help you make this holiday season one of true celebration.
Let’s make this holiday season one of peace, health, and joy—without the sugar crashes, stress meltdowns, or financial regrets.
Want to know about Intuitive Eating?
Read the free eBook “3 Keys to Intuitive Eating”. Rooted in the principles of Intuitive Eating, this easy-to-read eBook offers practical keys to nurturing your physical and spiritual well-being through the lens of the Christian faith.
You’ll be able to implement the three transformative keys to Intuitive Eating, by listening to your body’s signals and embrace foods that nourish both your physical health and your spiritual growth. You’ll be able to align your eating habits with the principles of God’s design, so you’ll find balance and fulfillment in your relationship with food.
You will discover a sense of calmness and freedom around food as you release the chains of rigid restrictions and dieting. Through the wisdom of Intuitive Eating and the guiding principles of your Christian beliefs, you’ll learn to honor your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, treating it with love and respect.
Dear readers and wellness enthusiasts, thank you for joining me on this journey toward a healthier and more faith-integrated life.
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Blessings on your journey!
Debra Loader is a Christian Health and Wellness Coach, a Christian Life Coach, as well as a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC).
She helps women integrate their Christian faith into their health and wellness journey to find greater motivation and resilience. You can contact Debra at debra@debraloaderlivingwell.com or 810-287-4096.