Thanksgiving is tomorrow and for most this is a joyous time celebrating with friends, family and loved ones, eating good food and practicing gratitude. But for others, this can be a time of stress and anxiety around food, in clothes, and with family members who just say the wrong things at all the wrong times.
True story... One holiday season, we had family in from out of town. It was so nice having them here and being able to catch up! Dinner came around and I filled my plate up with a little bit of everything. Later, dessert was served and I went up to get a little bit of everything, gotta try everything right?!
My uncle saw me reaching for the cookies and he immediately said "I thought nutrition people didn't eat this stuff. Don't you only eat healthy foods?"
My immediate external response was "everything fits into a healthy diet" but my internal response was 'what I decide to eat is none of your business.'
If you're faced with the anxieties that can come from the holiday season, I want you to know that you aren't alone and that there's not much we can do about other people's comments but we can control how we decide to respond in hopes that it can bring some insight into their remarks. Here's some great responses for common things family/friends could possibly say:
The more confident you sound in what you say, the better you'll feel regardless of what comments or questions are thrown at you!
I hope you all enjoy the Holiday season and navigate it safely!