How To Stay Body and Mind Positive During The Holiday Season

December is both a beautiful month and a difficult month. It's full of lights and joy and family time but also full of short days, isolation and seasonal affective disorder.

Some people stay more in the first category, some stay more in the second category and some stay in a constant state of back and forth.

But winter can be a difficult month body-wise.

Many people think summer is the hardest month since it's "bathing suit season" and while this is valid a lot of people struggle with winter because that's when they "lose it."

Winter is harder because it tends to be busier. People don't have the time always to get to the gym and want just quick and easy meals which result in extra fast-food stops. It's also hard because the days are cold, short and dark so many people spend less time outside. We don't realize how much good simply being outside in nature does for us.

But winter is also hard because of the increase in mental health conditions. Depression increases a lot which results in a loss of motivation, a loss of energy and a loss of desire to do the things you did earlier in the year.

We can see our weight go up and end up feeling frustrated, angry and helpless.

Is that you?

 All times of the year, but especially this time of the year, I ensure that I am focusing on my habits and not on my weight loss.

Hypothetically, if I simply focus on the habits (staying consistent with workouts, a supportive pattern of eating, self-care, mindset, connection with friends and family) then there is no reason to worry about the weight I am either gaining or losing.

Losing weight does not automatically mean you're going to feel good and be healthy. The issue with weight loss is it never seems to be enough.

A better goal for this time of year is to ensure we are working on body and mind positivity.

First, weight loss doesn't save you from getting S.A.D. If you're only focusing on what your waistline looks like chances are your mind is getting neglected. Second, losing weight doesn't automatically get rid of all of the body negativity thoughts. Losing weight doesn't teach us how to love ourselves.

So what can you do to support your body and mind positivity during the holidays?

1. Create a plan and stick to it as best you can

There is no such thing as perfection, especially during the holidays when things can be unpredictable. But we can work towards creating consistency.

If you have a routine pre-holiday season then that's great. I suggest taking a look at it and using what you have to create a holiday season specific one. Things might be busier, both in your life and in the places you normally go, so that will need to be taken into consideration.

Do you need to schedule in workout time that's different than your regular time because you have evening activities? Do you need to take away one or two workouts a week? Do you need to get up 15 minutes earlier so you can ensure you get your gratitude journaling in?

Create a holiday specific plan and then resume your regular plan (or adjust) once the holidays are over and things go back to normal. I find if it's recorded I am much more likely to continue to do it than if I just fly from the seat of my pants.

2. Add in some extra mindset activities

I ensure that at all times of the year I'm working on my mindset. This is a non-negotiable to me as someone with diagnosed mental illnesses who strives for a healthy management system. 

Since depression is one of those diagnoses and I have a history of struggling during this time of year I amp things up when the days get shorter. I track all the activities I do for my mindset to make sure that I am adding variety and also continuing with the solutions I know are working.

I make it a priority that there is no working past 6pm and that it begins my self-care time but I also try to fit it in throughout the day. I take a little bit longer lunch breaks to work on my puzzle (a great brain-stimulating activity) and I make sure everything I need for mindset activities is easy to access. If you work out of the home you can try adding in a 5-10 minute mindset activity to your lunch break.

3. Take the pressure off

A lot of people who already have health routines feel so much pressure to continue to be perfect and keep up. This can lead to feeling frustrated, discouraged and hateful towards themselves. Don't let this be you.

Acknowledge that it's okay to miss a day or two, it's okay if you choose to curl up on the couch under the blanket and watch a movie, it's okay if you had a couple of sweets during the day.

Take the pressure off of yourself to be perfect and instead celebrate yourself for what you end up doing. Celebrate the times where you get exercise in and tell yourself you're taking care of your physical body, celebrate yourself for resting, celebrate yourself for gratitude journaling 4 times that week (even if you normally get 6 or 7), celebrate yourself for showing up.

The more you celebrate yourself the more positively you'll feel towards yourself and satisfied you'll feel towards yourself.

4. Spend some extra time checking in

Sometimes we just need to take a moment and do a head to toe check-in. Even if you think you're feeling good this can be a great practice.

Checking in with ourselves can help us get to the bottom of things and connect with our inner self. It can also help us catch the stress and negative feelings we might have repressed without realizing. Sometimes we can get so good at masking and repressing that it happens unconsciously and we don't realize until everything comes spewing out.

❤️ You can do this as a meditation where you tune into each part of your body.
❤️ You can do it as a journaling exercise. Open up a blank piece of paper and start writing what comes up.
❤️ You can also do this as a mirror exercise. Go to your bathroom mirror (or whichever mirror you have available and private) and have a conversation with yourself. Ask yourself how you are and how you're feeling. Ask yourself to be honest. If you're not feeling okay or you start feeling critical of yourself because you can see your body in the mirror start speaking kind words towards it as if you were comforting a friend.
❤️ If you have your own method of checking in do that. Do whatever works best for you and feels right to you.

5. Try to live in the moment

The holiday season and winter itself bring about so much joy and beauty. If we spend so much time and energy focusing on our bodies growing during the winter and our mental state we can sometimes forget to look for the beauty.

I love stopping for moments and just taking a breath and then looking around. If I'm walking I'll look for Christmas lights or people smiling. I like to go to places that have holiday cheer and soak it in. While spending time with my family I like to watch my little nieces be silly running around and dancing and playing. I like to have random movie nights with my husband (this will be our first Christmas as a married couple!).

I try to take time to pull myself out of the crazy hustle and bustle of the season and into the moment. Because the beauty isn't found in the overall, it isn't found in the tree full of gifts or the running around to all the houses you have to. The beauty is found in the eye of the child looking at the beautiful lights on the tree, it's found in the excitement of your friend opening the gift that showed you really knew them, it's found in the couple experiencing new love and the couple experiencing 50 years of love, it's found in the crisp white snow.

When we focus on those things, on the beauty and joy we allow ourselves to feel joy. When we feel and see joy we are more likely to forget the negativity. When we forget the negativity we forget that we were worried about what our bodies look like.

Remember, both sides of the coin are completely normal this time of year. Winter is both a beautiful season and a difficult one. Whichever way you feel is completely okay. You shouldn't feel shame or guilt towards whatever comes up.

But make sure that you come first. Putting your family first or your kids first seems like "what you have to do" but if you don't give yourself any love you wind up in a bad mood (no matter how well you think you're hiding it) and they'll know. If you're in a bad mood your children will know and it will take a toll on them. If you show up stressed to your parent's house for Christmas dinner your stressed energy will be sent around to everyone taking away from the family time.

Take 5 minutes in the morning and just breath and whisper to yourself... "I love you."

Looking for some suggestions on being eco-conscious this holiday season? Check out my free Eco-Friendly Holiday guide for a great list of ways you can make sustainability a priority this holiday!