How To Have an Intentional Holiday Season

Hello, hi there! It’s the unofficial winter season (yikes!) and I wanted to check in with you all to see how you are feeling. December is upon us and that means one thing…the holidays are HERE. Regardless of where your mindset is currently at, I am writing to help us all out on how to cultivate an intentional holiday season.

The holiday season means something different for everyone. It may be a time of endless joy for some, yet it could bring a lot of sadness to others. It may leave you feeling excited, or feelings of overwhelm with anxiety. And you know what? Any and all of those feelings are valid. Remember that feelings and emotions are fleeting. What you choose to do with them is the crucial part.

Living your best holiday season life? Continue to show it and spread that holiday cheer! Feeling more like the Grinch and/or stressed out? Try doing something that you enjoy that brings some inner peace. The last thing we need is to take our inner aggression out on others. Everyone is going through something so try to practice self awareness and hit the pause button if needed.

Ok now that we have set the tone, here are some ways to navigate the holiday season and be intentional in how we spend the next several weeks.

Self care

Although the term self care can seem trendy these days, I still like to use it because it has a different meaning for everyone. The holiday season can be stressful, am I right? How about we take some “me” time to help feel our best. There will be situations that are unavoidable, dreadful or unfulfilling, but if we practice self care, it can make any stressful situation a little less daunting. If you take care of yourself, you can show up for others.

What does self care look like for you? It can be the simplest/smallest of things, but if it helps keep you centered, be consistent.

Hitting Pause

One of the best things I have learned over the years is to hit pause and take a step back when needed. Some of us need more down time than others (or some of us intentionally busy ourselves and leave too little down time). The holiday season can feel like there are a million things going on at once.

It is OK to say no to holiday parties to relax and chill out, it is OK to spend some alone time, and it is OK to not be in the holiday spirit at all times.

Give Without Expectation

Serving others and giving without receiving has some major feel-good power. Have you ever done something for someone without expecting something in return? Yeah, that is called intentional living. Where you genuinely want to help or give in some way and not feel like the other person(s) has to give anything back to you. It is definitely a mood booster!

But this is not to say that you should give to others just because it looks good externally, it has to come from within.

I hope this helps keeps you calm and sane this holiday season! Again, there will be things that are out of our control, but if we can focus more on the good in any situation, you are well on your way. Be intentional, have fun, and you WILL survive the in-laws ;) Hehe just kidding.

Wellness Rituals I Practice Regularly

Hi guys! Wow, it has been quite some time since I wrote a meaningful post. Huge thanks for those of you still choosing to follow along on this platform, I appreciate you! You can expect to hear from me more often these days.

After sharing some of my favorite daily rituals here, I thought it could be helpful to expand upon the topic. Please ignore the "to stay slim and rev up metabolism" part in the header - I did not share those things to promote weight loss. Mindfulness and "well-being" are such hot topics for discussion today but I also think it's crucial to find and practice rituals that serve YOU and not because you feel pressured to follow someone else's routine. We could all use a little reminder to remove some of the "shoulds" in life. Do what feels good to you and if it's not serving you in any way, let that shit GO. Find below some of my favorite ways that help provide wellness in my life.

Wellness Rituals

1. Breathe - After living with severe anxiety a few years ago, I learned just how important it is to breathe. For those of you who have or currently experience anxiety, it can feel difficult to breathe normally - not getting in adequate oxygen and/or hyperventilation. Deep breaths also do wonders when stress creeps in. Try taking one long inhale and then exhale, counting down to five on the exhale.

Yoga

1. Yoga - I actually don't practice yoga daily but several times per week. And sometimes by doing yoga, I often mean doing a quick sequence and stretches on my own vs. an actual class. I find even doing some poses to help stretch my body out is so helpful and feels SO good!

2. Meditation - Another strategy that helped with anxiety that stuck and again, I don't do this daily either but when I did, it was life-changing. I found it helped me relax but also to let go of the things in life that I had zero control over. *Remember, anxiety never fully goes away, you just adapt and form positive coping strategies

Matcha

1. Matcha - I love a good matcha latte. Coffee also brings me joy but when I am feeling increased stress or anxiety, matcha comes through like a champ. It still provides a great deal of energy without the typical side effects of caffeine in a strong cup of coffee. *Everyone reacts to caffeine differently. Matcha provides calm, focused energy for me so I like to switch it up between coffee and matcha weekly.

2. Gratitude list - Saying or writing out 3 things I am grateful for daily has a huge, positive impact on my day. It helps set the tone for the remainder of the day, helping me stay grounded. I usually say them in my head but l write them down every so often.

There are so many others I could list but the above has had the biggest impact. Let me know if you try any of these or tell me what you do to bring wellness into your life!

Evolving

Oatmeal

Warm Dragon Bowl

Ice Cream

First off, I love you guys and I apologize for the absence over the past couple of years. Moving to NYC has been both amazing and life-changing for me, especially for the blog. With the constant hustle and bustle in this crazy city, I've learned to prioritize and say "no" to a lot of things (for the better). I have also learned to fuel what feeds me and what I want to put my energy towards (because this place can suck the life out of you). Of course I wanted to be more present on this blog for you all but I needed to re-focus and put out quality vs. quantity.This post was inspired by Alexis' recent posts on doing what "feeds your soul". Because I too have recently noticed that my philosophy as an RD has changed along with my vision for this blog/website. For starters, I wish I could banish all fad diets and calorie counting forever! I want to encourage you all to love food as is and help you understand it's a fuel source, not something to be feared. I want you to embrace the fun and joy that food brings, not anxiety or sadness (like I once had).Our society can make us feel so unbelievably guilty for the food choices we make. Don't get me started on calorie counts for menus in food chains and restaurants. I get it, I really do, but if comparing calories sways your decision from ordering that delicious pasta dish you've been craving to a cobb salad (when you don't feel like a salad) just because it has fewer calories, then you are restricting my friend. Restriction can lead to binges which will not make you feel much better. In fact, it will probably make you feel worse - I know from personal experience.While I still encourage you to eat plenty of veggies and support the MyPlate method, I am 100% fully consumed and passionate about intuitive eating. You don't feel like eating any veggies for lunch? Then don't. Try to sneak some in throughout the day when you can but don't force yourself to eat something you will choke down. You want that cookie (or two) after lunch or dinner? Then eat it. It's about tuning into your hunger and fullness cues, being mindful about eating under emotions, too. It's not easy and doesn't come to you over night. It took me years to love ALL foods and to acknowledge that all foods fit.This blog/website has also evolved. I don't necessarily call myself a food blogger anymore. I don't find joy rolling out new recipes every other day or even every other week. I'm lucky if I can share a new recipe once a month for you! But I can say it has been a huge relief. Some of you love whipping up new recipes on a daily basis (and are so great at it) but for me, it's not what feeds my fire anymore. Not to say I don't enjoy sharing new recipes with you guys, I just don't feel pressured to do it so often. I'll whip up more "recipes" when I don't have to deal with this excuse of a kitchen here in NYC aka non-existent kitchen :)So to sum all of this up, I am human. We are always evolving and changing directions and that's OK. I hope all of you find your passion and go after it. This being said, I will be more active on here but the majority of it may not be recipes - I'll try to switch things up a bit.If you are interested in nutrition counseling and/or wanting help along your journey of intuitive eating, I can help :)

Have a wonderful week!