Holiday Whiplash - 3 tips to help you cope
You’re staring down the holidays and you are already feeling dread.
The emotional whiplash you are feeling about your body & food from Thanksgiving weekend is already doing you in and you aren’t sure how you are going to get through finals, work parties, and family functions that all involve foods that look amazing the sheer volume of events & foods still makes you panic. Or even if you’ve made peace with your body and foods, you still get thrown off by the crazy comments people seem to save up and share with wild abandon for this six-week stretch of time. The angst, overwhelm, and dread is making you want to skip them all, but you are tired of your life being run by fearing food & social gatherings. You are determined to attend but you need a few pointers to stay grounded.
Let’s get back to the basics:
Breath-
While we do this automatically, when we get anxious or overwhelmed, our nervous system speeds things up. Our bodies speed up, and our brains speed up. And as our brains speed up we kick into the unhelpful, but ever so convincing thinning errors that amplify our emotions. This looks like jumping to conclusions, catastrophizing, all-or-nothing thinking, etc. This isn’t a character flaw to have intense and distorted thoughts in these moments, it’s just how human brains work when in distress. So you really do need to intentionally breathe. Slowing down your breathing will slow down your nervous system. As your system & body slows down, so does your thinking. And as your thinking slows down so do your thoughts. Thoughts with fewer distortions in them are WAY more manageable than thoughts in high distress. You can simply breathe out, take a slow breath in, and breathe out.
Some people do better to have a pattern or saying to follow, so if that’s you, then picture blowing out a candle, then breathing in the smell of flowers, back to the candles, and so on. It only takes a few sets of breathing to start to get your body to help you out. If you feel like you are really spun out, then open a breathing or meditation app and do any version that targets panicky feelings. On the app Calm, there is a 3, 5, or 10 min “emergency calm” that will guide you through this process.
Litte kids remind us we can trust our bodies.
Babies & toddlers are prime examples of how we are hardwired for survival. They instinctively know how to eat, how to sleep, and how to express their feelings. We know this because it’s easy to see when they get over-hungry, or over-tired. They fuss, cry, scream or go into full-out meltdown mode until their basic needs are met with food, sleep, and support/comfort. When they are on the cusp of a growth spurt, they eat & sleep more. When they are learning a new skill such as walking, they fall down, get scared and cry out for support, comfort, and encouragement. They don’t count calories, they don’t understand anything about nutrition or sleep, they just came hardwired to stay alive and thrive, and so do you! They trust that speaking up and reaching out is not only okay but vital.
Ask for support-
This one when said aloud seems obvious, however, we often don’t think to set this up in advance, and sometimes in anxiety & overwhelm we can find ourselves shutting down and pulling back. So take an inventory of which events will be more anxiety-provoking on the social dynamics front, and which ones may be tougher on the food fear front. Talk to your person(s) in advance and let them know where & why you think your emotions may be activated. Let them know what type of response you have when these moments surface. Sometimes we need to talk about our feelings at length. Other times we just need to text someone with a synopsis of what happened and for them to say something comforting or grounding to us in response. Regardless of how you need support, all humans do better in the presence of love & support. We are hardwired for connection, so please don’t go it alone.
Rember to take things one day or one event at a time.
If you feel you need extra support now or after the holidays, you are not alone. Eating disorder treatment takes time, recovery is always possible and will come the more you practice new ways of coping. This is a very fun AND stressful time of the year. If you are looking for an eating disorder therapist, we are here for you, give us a call.
Begin Working With An Eating Disorder Therapist Or Anxiety Therapist
The holidays can bring on a lot of stress, but you don’t have to face it alone. Our team of caring therapists would be happy to support you in remaining grounded this season. You can start your therapy journey with in-person or online therapy across the state of Utah for ease of access and convenience. If you're ready to get started, you can follow these simple steps:
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Other Services Offered With Inside Wellness
Our team understands you may experience a number of mental health concerns in addition to anxiety counseling. This is why we are happy to offer support with a variety of mental health services. Other services offered include body image counseling, eating disorder therapy, and online Therapy in Utah.