If you are like me, you’ve probably already enjoyed a number of holiday parties and all the accompanying holiday treats. If you are lucky, you can look forward to many more over the coming weeks. Typically, holiday gatherings offer lots of finger food and sweets that most of us do not include in our daily diet. My self-care tip is to be very deliberate in choosing holiday foods to enjoy. Think beforehand about what you are willing to eat and intend to pay attention to when your stomach starts to signal to you that it’s full. It’s okay to cheat—after all, how often do you have all these wonderful looking, tasty holiday treats laid out in front of you? Just remember, large spreads of food and treats initiate the trance induction of full blown attentional absorption to overeat. When you get into trance, your normal critical thinking takes a nap and you are (for that brief period of time), subject to your narrowly focused attention on all that food in front of you (not to mention the holiday libations). Suffering the after affects of having overeaten is no fun and often lasts many hours longer than the party itself. While there are all kinds of suggested strategies to avoid overeating at holiday parties, my reminder is simply to be more conscious and avoid the overeating trance. You’ll be glad you did.
Posted by Howard Brockman, LCSW
12-12-12
Howard Brockman
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