It’s that time of year again. Work, social events and family commitments seem to simultaneously start clamoring (loudly) for our attention and we are sucked into a vortex of long workdays, late nights socializing and weekends hosting family and friends and eventually spat out in January feeling exhausted, overindulged and not feeling so crash-hot. 

Is there any way to minimize the fallout so it doesn’t take all of January to recover? These are Charlotte’s top five tips for thriving over the holidays.

1.  Nutrition - a little planning goes a long way

Let’s be realistic here: our healthy eating habits will get knocked off course in the festive season. Long days (and nights) at work, festive evening drinks and office parties can all lead to missed meals, late-night snacking, eating on the fly, drinking alcohol on an empty stomach and a general cycle of overindulgence and fatigue.

Feeling guilty and beating ourselves up about this is not the answer. It’s just the reality of the yuletide chaos. However, we can plan so that we anticipate all of these challenges. 

Top of the list? Plan to eat a good breakfast. Our morning habits will determine how we feel for the rest of the day. Try to plan out breakfasts for the whole week and include a form of protein (like eggs), some fiber, a healthy fat (avocado or olive oil) and a small amount of carbohydrate. This should keep your blood sugar levels steady.

A great option is overnight oats with chia seeds, some nut butter, and berries. This super easy option can be made in the evening so it can be grabbed from the fridge before we rush to the school run/work/exercise class. 

If we know we have an evening cocktail drinks party to go to straight from work, let’s make an effort to eat a balanced meal at lunch and have a healthy mid-afternoon snack so that we are not experiencing a blood sugar imbalance as we head into the evening’s event.

That first glass of bubbly is less likely to go straight to our heads and lead to a morning of misery the next day.

2.  Drink more

Sorry, we’re talking water here, not prosecco. 

It’s a boring one, but this really will make all the difference to our energy levels as we power through the festivities. We can still enjoy a cold glass of bubbly but we also need to hydrate to stay energized and focused.

With all the rushing around, we will likely be drinking less water than usual, when we should actually be drinking more. We should be drinking a half to an ounce of water per pound of bodyweight a day.

The easiest method is to halve your body weight in pounds and drink that amount of water in ounces. i.e. if you are 140 lbs, you should be drinking at least 70 oz of water a day. Buy a large water bottle and track your drinking. There are even apps you can download to do this; whatever works for you.

3.  Keep moving

Just like healthy eating, exercise tends to take a back seat for many of us in the lead up to the end of the year (especially if you live in a cold climate).

Rather than giving up completely, however, we should try to keep some kind of exercise going if not for the physical benefits, then definitely for the mental health benefits so we don’t start the new year (new decade!) feeling low, scattered and depleted.

Gentle exercise like restorative yoga and walking count. Extra points for spending exercise time in nature.

4. Embrace J.O.M.O (Joy of Missing Out)

We all want to have a fun holiday time but when our diaries are overflowing with social and work events, it can become stressful, overwhelming and, frankly, less than awesome.

For us introverts, spending time in our own company to recharge is vitally important to our sense of wellbeing. Setting aside time to relax and enjoy some quiet time (even 10 minutes a day) should be a non-negotiable part of our schedules.

Not only is it okay to draw some boundaries and say no to some things, it can be a matter of survival.

5. Leave perfection behind and be here now

We all know that perfection doesn’t actually exist but that doesn’t seem to stop us trying to be the perfect parent, daughter, hostess, boss or employee in the run-up to the New Year (and beyond).

Placing this pressure on ourselves can be counterproductive to our wellbeing as we constantly hustle our way to future goals and the next achievement, and forget to look around and just bask in everything we have right now. Being more mindful about enjoying this moment, this hour, this day will help to ground us and feel more connected to our families, our friends and, most importantly, ourselves.

Trying to be everything to everyone is exhausting and can lead to elevated levels of stress hormones and, ultimately, burnout. Let’s be kind to ourselves and try to cultivate a practice of gratitude that will see us through to January and beyond.

Have a safe and happy holidays!

About Charlotte

Charlotte Beales-Hart is a certified integrative nutrition health coach and focuses on partnering with women who are committed to working to become the most vibrant, balanced and healthy version of themselves.

After suffering her own health crisis and starting her wellness journey a few years ago, Charlotte is passionate about supporting women to take the small steps that lead to big transformation. She believes that everyone should invest in themselves to identify what works for them as an individual, create a “toolbox” of wellness tricks that make them feel their best and then stick to them as if their life depended on it.

If you would like to find out more about Charlotte’s wellness coaching programs or be added to her newsletter subscription list, please visit Island Nourish or contact her at charlotte.islandnourish@gmail.com