Managing Holiday Stress and Emotional Eating
When it comes to maintaining your nutrition during the holiday season, it’s not a sheer matter of resisting holiday sweets and other indulgent dishes. The holidays can bring as much stress as they do joy. For some, more stress than joy. Whatever they may be, holiday stressors increase the likelihood of emotional eating. This spans the range of comfort eating and binge eating to self-soothe or skipping meals to control what you can control.
If emotional eating is something you’re susceptible to and your stress levels are high this holiday season, focus less on food—and more on managing holiday stress.
Top Holiday Season Stressors
Holiday stress can have a ripple effect far beyond nutritional concerns. For example, stress and anxiety may keep you up at night. Reduced sleep can decrease your immunity, increase irritability, and hinder cognitive performance. It can also increase the likelihood of holiday weight gain, not just from stress eating, but from decreased metabolism. If the holidays are stressing you out, you’re not alone, as 89% of adults feel overwhelmed this time of the year.
Some of the top sources of stress include:
Financial stress: From giving your kids what they want most to shopping for picky friends and family, buying for everyone on a growing gift list, and the expense of decorating and hosting for the holidays.
Family conflict: From politics to religion, unfortunately, not everyone in the family can set aside their differences during group gatherings. Holidays are also a time when rightfully estranged family members must spend time together. This can be stressful for everyone.
Pressure: There are a variety of pressures you may feel. From you and your spouse or children being compared to other family members to self-imposed or externally imposed pressure to be the perfect host, cook, or gift giver.
Time: Your already busy schedule may be busier this time of the year. From getting work done before you go on vacation to social engagements, and spending quality time with everyone in your blended family.
Cultural differences: Diversity is one of the many things that enrich our lives, but cultural differences (regional, ethnic, and familial) can lead to conflicts in how holidays are celebrated, what’s on the menu, priorities, and more.
Grief and loneliness: Something we don’t talk about enough is that the holidays can bring both grief and loneliness. From your first holiday season post-divorce to the first (or any) holiday after a loved one has passed, and missing family members who live out of state or country. Even the loneliness that arises without true belonging.
Managing Holiday Stress
There is no one-size-fits-all equation to managing holiday stress. Like all aspects of health and wellness, find what works for you. The tips below may help.
Determine Your Priorities
Instead of catering to everyone else’s expectations, determine your priorities. While compromise is required in families, prioritize what brings you the most joy.
Say No
Saying “no” is often easier said than done, especially during this “giving” time of the year. That said, there will need to be some invitations you decline to prioritize your joy and your whole-body health.
Ask For Help
Don’t do it all yourself. Whether it’s delegating a bit more to your partner to lighten your load or asking friends and family for social, emotional, or physical support. Also, utilize paid help. This could be a cleaning company to deep clean your home or the growing range of on-demand delivery and task services. Maybe even ordering a pre-cooked turkey and other holiday dishes.
Schedule Me Time
As impossible as it may seem in this extra-busy time of the year, leaving some time for yourself is an excellent means of managing holiday stress. The higher your stress levels, the more important this may be for you. From leaving space in your schedule to doing nothing to scheduled self-care, time to exercise, and time for anything that fills you up.
Here’s to a joyful holiday season!