How to Heal Emotional Eating During the Holidays

Let’s face it, sometimes the holidays can be exciting, loving, and nostalgic – however sometimes the holidays can be a bit emotionally triggering. Whether that’s being around family, dysfunctional energy, friends, or even being alone, it can bring up a lot of emotions for us. This is usually the season where we tend to overeat, binge eat, or not pay attention to how much we’re actually consuming. If you are an emotional eater and tend to process your grief, stress or even happiness with food – you are not alone. Here are ways to navigate this season with extra mindfulness, self-compassion and intention. 

First, I want to say honor your feelings. Feelings are just information. They are just telling us what we need more of. They let us know what our unmet needs are. Whether that’s more intimacy, connection, adventure or purpose in our daily lives – they are here to gently remind us to process an emotion and to soothe it accordingly. We can still enjoy our favorite holiday foods all while reducing any shame and guilt that may come up from emotional eating. 

Change starts with self-awareness and we want to pay extra attention to what our emotional food triggers are. Is it stress? Maybe planning, hosting, or traveling is anxiety inducing and overwhelming. Is it feeling nostalgic? Maybe certain foods bring you back to a certain time where things felt a lot more simple and comfortable. Is it social anxiety and pressure? Sometimes family gatherings can make us socially uncomfortable or even frustrated. Is it exhaustion? Sometimes when we have a lot going on and our schedules are jam packed we tend to turn to food for a quick comfort and pick me up. Understanding what inspires our emotional eating patterns is the first step in being able to approach it with more love, forgiveness and most importantly – change.

Trigger Mapping and Why It’s Important 

Now let’s get into trigger mapping. There are 4 parts to trigger mapping that is going to help you change your behavior. (1) Identifying the trigger or the circumstance that causes the trigger.. Know what your triggers are and what is ultimately the cause of an emotion. Knowing your triggers will also help you create better emotional boundaries when making plans or engaging with said trigger. (2) Identify the feeling. How are you ultimately feeling? Let’s unpack that. Did it make you sad? Disappointed? Anxious? Lonely? Abandoned? What is the feeling that you are experiencing right now? This is going to let you know how you can treat this feeling in other ways outside of food. I have a ‘Feed Your Feelings’ workshop this Sunday, November 24 @ 12:00pm EST where we break down our feelings, what our cravings really mean and which foods help us soothe each feeling. Get your tickets here! Also, if you are a Holistic Homie ($5/mo) the workshops are free and included in the membership! They also have access to emotional eating journal prompts and a meal template to help them process their emotions around food and track their meals. Now back to scheduled programming – (3) Identify the behavior. Now that you are triggered and a very specific emotion is coming up for you, what is that you do next? What do you grab to eat? Do you take the longer way home to stop at your favorite fast food spot? Do you order UberEats at home knowing that you already have your meals planned and prepped for you to eat already? Take a second to recognize the behavior that follows up after you are triggered. (4) Identify the feeling you get after the behavior. Now that you’ve eaten the food (or whatever your behavior was) – how do you feel afterwards? Do you feel guilt? Shame? Tired? Disappointed? Out of alignment with your wellness goals? What is the ultimate feeling in the end? Is this feeling healing the original feeling that came up from being triggered? Trigger mapping is going to help you build more self awareness around your emotional eating patterns and help you build the connection between the way you feel and the way you eat. This is the beginning of creating healthier responses to those triggers.

Practical Tips for Navigating Emotional Eating 

Now that you know how to track your triggers, we’re going to start focusing on satisfying the emotion and not just the appetite. If you are stressed or anxious, this is a great time to step outside for fresh air. Take a moment to practice deep breathing. Go for a brisk walk. If you are feeling lonely, call an old friend. Prioritize laughter. Put on a ‘feel good’ film that is funny and predictable. If you are feeling nostalgic, reflect on what you love most about the holidays. Start to think back to your favorite memories growing up. Write a letter to your younger self or a letter to a family member (you don’t even have to send the letter, this is just for your own emotional processing). 

I also want to encourage you to give yourself permission to indulge but we want to indulge with intention. Enjoy your favorite holiday treats and snacks but be sure to always start the day with a ginger shot or fruits. Add at least (1) green to every meal or at least one meal throughout the day. Slow down, chew slowly and savor the flavors. This is all a part of the season’s joy. 

Plan Ahead. If you know you might be eating heavy for the day, prepare yourself with packing a fruit or a mini salad before you even get there. This will help curb overeating and reduce the likelihood of emotional eating. I highly recommend bringing a banana, apple, almonds, walnuts, and sunflower seeds. They’re loaded with healthy fiber and fats to keep us feeling full longer and giving our bodies the nutrients it needs before we indulge into our holiday favorites. 

Practice releasing guilt step by step, day by day. I know that’s easier said than done but if you’re packing your own fruits and nuts, you’re eating bite sized meals before you even go to the gathering, and you’re processing your emotions – you are doing the best you can and that’s more than okay. Trust that you are exactly where you are supposed to be, feeling exactly how you are supposed to feel in order to prepare you for what’s even greater to come. This one moment of emotional eating does not define you or your wellness journey. Be sure to always tune in and reflect on what you need in the moment and how you can address differently next time. We are here to live, laugh, and learn. This is a part of the learning. 

How I Learned How To Navigate Emotional Eating

I don’t know if anybody else is like me but I used to emotionally eat when I was really happy. When I’m sad, stressed, or overwhelmed – I completely lose my appetite and eat bite sizes but when I’m happy, it’s all fair game and I treat food as a reward. (Quick sidebar: ever since I got a dog and I realized how treat motivated he is, it challenged me to stop rewarding myself with food. We are not dogs, it’s absolutely okay to enjoy food just to enjoy it versus seeing it as some sort of treat for myself. Now I see a reward or a treat as going to the spa, getting a massage, taking a hot bath, etc). What helped me stop emotional eating was seeing it less like a failure and more seeing it like a signal. Which emotion am I feeling and how can I heal her in another way? If I’m sad, I like to call my best friend. If I’m bored, I like to play legos or crochet. If I’m overwhelmed, I like to stretch. It’s important for us to feed our lives in other ways. 

I want to encourage us all to approach our food cravings with curiosity and compassion. Sometimes we are not hungry, we’re really lonely or tired or agitated or bored or disappointed. Sometimes we need a break, a hug, a really good laugh, or some time outside in nature. Discovering what I holistically need changed the game for me and it’s why I’m so passionate about talking about this with you.

If you’re feeling ready to take control of emotional eating and to understand what our food cravings really mean, join me this Sunday, November 24 @ 12:00pm EST, ‘Feed Your Feelings: Understanding Emotional Eating’ workshop. We will explore the root causes of our emotional eating patterns and create actionable strategies to overcome it. The goal is to have a joyful relationship with food and to see it as nourishment versus a coping mechanism. The Holistic Homie members get free access! They also have access to emotional eating journal prompts that will serve as a guide to help us effectively process and manage certain emotions. Not a member yet? Join today for just $4.99/month and get exclusive wellness content, recipes, and free workshops like this one.

Navigating emotional eating during the holidays is not about perfection – it’s about awareness, compassion, and moving with more intention. By giving yourself grace, planning ahead, and tuning into your needs, you can fully enjoy this holiday season and develop a much more powerful relationship with your body and with your food. 

P.S. Stay tuned for next week’s blog where we’ll explore how to redefine self-love and nourishment during the holiday season. In the meantime, don’t forget to check out my Holistic Homies membership and join a community committed to living better, one mindful habit at a time.