Ready? Set? Overindulge!!!!

Get psyched. It’s coming. Around the corner. Any day now. The person standing in front of the black pot ringing the bell. Yule tide stress.

Start listening to the kinds of things people say as we get closer. See how many comments express concerns about obligations of one kind or another. Before it’s over, someone will say to you, “Have you gotten your shopping done yet?” They’ll say it as if the clock is about to strike midnight. As if you should be boarding up your windows in preparation for a hurricane. As if you will burn in hell if you’ve forgotten one person.

For better or worse, the holidays bring their special brand of stress. It’s easy to fall into the trap of subtle and overt demands to be pleasing and to be pleased. Copious amounts of food, sweets, and alcohol stand before us to help medicate all the expectations.

And what about your self care program? Visions of candied yams and fried chicken from Publix will start dancing in your head as you stare at the leftover Halloween candy sometime in early November. Life will present challenges to your schedule, money, and availability. That yoga class might have to wait until after the first of the year. Doing extra cardio to make up for the extra calories may be out of the question. And shopping and partying might swallow up time for your normal self care.

So here are some survival tips.

1. It’s still early. Start thinking about what kind of holidays you want before you start saying yes to invitations from others. A proactive approach works best, instead of waiting to respond to other people’s requests or demands.

2. Decide now to continue some form of your fitness and self care program through the holidays, no matter how little. It’s easier if you concentrate on setting acceptable minimums. If you have to get a sponsor to help you stay accountable.

3. Food and alcohol. The more you get into a power struggle with yourself about how bad you are for indulging, the more you are going to act out. After all, it’s the holidays, and just about everyone regresses into a needy child. Do your best. Again, you’ll get results if you create realistic agreements with yourself that allow you to have a good time without losing tremendous gains.

4. I know this sounds corny. But try (I know it’s hard) to concentrate on what the holidays mean. The theme of Thanksgiving is gratitude. The theme of Christmas/Solstice/Chanukah is the gift of light in the darkness. The theme of New Year’s is reflection and renewal.

5. If you consciously shift and focus your attention to how these themes present themselves, and you’ll find the holidays less stressful and more satisfying.

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Anthony Quaglieri, Ph.D., is a licensed mental health counselor in Tampa, click here to visit his recently launched web site.

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