How To Enjoy Halloween Mindfully
Filed Under: Holiday Eating
26 October 2023 | Written by Xenia Ayiotis
Halloween is the start of the holiday season, a tricky time with food. Especially if you have food rules and forbidden foods. As an Intuitive Eating Coach, I believe that allowing ourselves all types of foods with no judgement leads to a more peaceful holiday season. Embracing Intuitive Eating and Mindful Eating teaches us how to become aware, listen and trust our body’s signals. The attitudes of mindfulness can help us approach eating during the holiday season with less fear. I so often hear “sugar is addictive” and in my experience, the foods that are addictive are the ones we restrict.
Awareness
When you eat, bring your attention to your body. Bring your attention to your mouth and the taste of what you are eating. Very often we overeat because our attention is elsewhere or caught up in judgement. Can you try be really present with the “party in your mouth” noticing the flavours and textures, how the food feels in your body, this will help you enjoy your food and get more satisfaction.
Bring awareness to your judgements, very often it’s labelling food good, bad or naughty that leads to overeating. Sugar is not bad and you are not weak or naughty for eating sugar. Bring awareness to your thoughts.
Pay attention to thoughts like:
- If I have these foods in the house, I am going to binge on them
- I can’t trust myself around sugar
- I’ve already blown it, I might as well carry on!
- That’s enough
- I shouldn’t; I mustn’t
- Everyone else is eating
- Sugar is addictive
- If I start, I won’t stop…
- What the hell! Who cares!
- I will be good tomorrow, on Monday, in the New Year…
Every time you eat is an opportunity to practice, learn and start again. We are aiming for progress NOT perfection!
Allowing and Letting Go
The more we try to control and restrict sugar or any food for that matter, the more it has control over us. Trying to get “control” over food makes us more out of control. I know it sounds counter-intuitive but the way to feel in charge of your eating is to allow yourself to have whatever you want. So how about letting go of the rules and restriction and allowing yourself and those around you to enjoy the Halloween candy? You may be concerned about health. Think about this, eating sweets in secrecy is not healthy. A sustainable healthy way of eating, is eating with flexibility and pleasure by letting go of guilt and shame around food choices.
Remember some foods nourish the body, others nourish the heart and soul and some are for pure fun! There is room for all of them!
Acknowledge
It’s important to acknowledge that food and holidays can be tricky to navigate at the best of times. Diet culture has spoilt the fun of the holidays by focusing on weight loss and controlling or eliminating certain foods. If you have a history of dieting or restricting foods, going on another diet or trying to control your food can offer you a false sense of control and comfort. Putting all your attention on what you can or can’t eat is often a distraction from more serious things in your life that you may be avoiding.
Attend With Kindness
Can you treat yourself kindly whatever may arise this weekend? If you overeat, or eat too much sugar, avoid beating yourself up. Nourish don’t punish. Your body has infinite wisdom and will digest and process everything you have eaten.
Wishing you a Happy Halloween!
All my best,
Xen
🎃 Need extra support navigating holiday stress around food and body?
🎃 Check out How to Handle Eating in the Holidays! It’s short, easy and manageable. You’ll feel more calm and peaceful around all the food and festivities.
🎃 Need 1-to-1 support to end the struggle with food? Book a free 30-minute mini session.
🎃 Halloween Gift for you: Feeling Guilty Around Food Meditation
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