[Article updated on 19/09/2023]
We are just a few days away from the start of the end-of-year holidays.
Before reading on
I’m not an expert in this field, but I am passionate about nutrition and health.
The articles you’ll find on my site are the result of in-depth research that I’d like to share with you. However, I would like to stress that I am not a health professional and that my advice should in no way replace that of a qualified physician. I’m here to guide you, but it’s important that you consult a professional for specific questions or medical concerns. Your well-being is important. So be sure to consult the appropriate experts and take the best possible care of yourself.
Christmas, New Year’s Eve, meals and other festivities can cause you stress and anxiety, particularly regarding your image, your body or your weight.
So how can we manage this sometimes difficult body image and these end-of-year holidays where excess eating is the order of the day?
I offer you, through these four themes, levers allowing you to better understand the festivities and the image of your body.
How to be Body positive?
I hate my body, will I succeed in being body positive?
Of course, but not as easily as what is shown on social networks, because once again, you only see an image posted at a given time.
Acceptance of oneself and one’s body requires work to let go, self-love, and regain confidence and esteem.
Start by reclaiming your body image
We are in a rhythmic society where we follow a frantic pace without even realizing it from waking up (too early) until the evening! In this sustained pace, how many people forget their bodies? Do they forget to connect to them?
Thanks to relaxation and meditation every day you can experience focusing on yourself, your body and thus not losing connection. Breathing is an exceptional tool that will help you stay in tune with yourself. I really invite you to try so that you don’t forget yourself again!
Focus on your feelings: are there places in your body where you have tension? Where ? Did you have a good day ? How do you feel today ?
Should I use the scale during the holidays?
When the needle tells you your mood for the day, it is too late, the scale has become a source of stress, an object of psychological torture and guilt.
Is it logical and normal to define yourself by a 65? 78? 58 or an 82?
And your personality? Your qualities, your aspirations, your passions?
My patients often tell me that the scale is their safeguard, the one that allows them to control, adjust, balance, reduce, reassure themselves. What if you started by looking in the mirror? Wouldn’t you actually see the pounds lost or gained?
The scale is an indicator, it is useful when you are affected by eating pathologies: thinness or obesity. In case your health is in danger, it becomes a medical tool. It is also used for pregnant women who may develop illnesses if they gain too much (or too little) weight during pregnancy.
But the rest of the time? Do you need a scale to confirm that you have gone from a 40 to a 42 or the other way around?
Do you want to free yourself from weight? Find a peaceful relationship with your body and food, with a feeling of well-being, lightness and guilt-free?
Start by complimenting yourself, be kind to yourself and above all: patience and perseverance…!
The scale during the holidays? In the closet ! You don’t need it.
Kindness towards your body: the key!
Positive thoughts about your body
Say words of love, sweet words to yourself and stop identifying with negative thoughts. Say stop to insults, devaluation and guilt. Whisper compliments to yourself, aimed at your body, at the parts you like the least: “I love you”, “you are beautiful just as you are”, “you are sexy”,… A Through repetition you will end up truly believing in these thoughts and they will gradually anchor themselves in you (and heal your ailments).
Massage your body
It is essential to touch its envelope, to know it and above all to bring it well-being. You can use creams but I recommend oils which, being oilier, will take more time to fully penetrate your skin and therefore more massage time. Massage yourself with your hands, with a glove or any other utensil that will allow you to take care of yourself.
You don’t have to be in front of your mirror, especially if your image bothers you. You can simply apply your oil quietly after the shower, in peace, just with yourself. It’s a time for yourself, with yourself.
Eating mindfully: to manage quantities during the holidays
Tasting improves:
- Paying attention to your food sensations of hunger, satiety and satiation. So you will eat the right amount you need, no matter what food it is.
- The stimulation of your 5 senses and particularly taste. Your brain synthesizes more dopamine (the pleasure hormone) which gives you a very pleasant and relaxing feeling of well-being.
- Digestion which begins with chewing and continues in the mouth through the action of salivary amylases (digestive enzymes). When we digest better we feel light, comfortable and so much better, right?
Tasting helps reduce the feeling of guilt! Yes, since even if you are still in food control and you have difficulty detaching yourself from this notion of good and bad food, thanks to tasting you will eat the right amount you need, avoid overeating and so take full advantage of the holidays and the taste pleasure that you give yourself.
The food brings all its pleasure in the first bites, then you will observe that the pleasure gradually diminishes. It’s when you say to yourself: “I’ve eaten enough of this food” that it’s the right time to stop! Yes, it’s there… You need to seize this moment, this thought and you will see that your relationship with the plate will transform!
It’s up to you to play and test the advice offered, those that suit you best to spend the holidays with kindness towards yourself.
I wish you a wonderful and sweet end-of-year celebration.