{"id":1099,"date":"2011-12-12T06:16:13","date_gmt":"2011-12-12T11:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/beyondgorgeous\/?p=1099"},"modified":"2011-12-10T12:19:58","modified_gmt":"2011-12-10T17:19:58","slug":"dont-eat-the-worms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beyondgorgeous\/2011\/12\/dont-eat-the-worms.html","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Eat the Worms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nobody loves me, everybody hates me,<\/em><\/p>\n

Guess I\u2019ll go eat worms.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0We\u2019ve all had times when we could sing that song!\u00a0 However, we usually sing,<\/p>\n

Nobody loves me, everybody hates me,<\/em><\/p>\n

Guess I\u2019ll go eat cookies.<\/em><\/p>\n

Emotional eating can be our downfall, particularly during and right after the holiday season.\u00a0 Stress and, often, disappointment raise their heads during this busy time. \u00a0 Family get-togethers can be more like Family Feud<\/em> than The Waltons.<\/em>\u00a0 Gifts bought carefully and sacrificially can be greeted with a request to exchange it for something \u201cbetter.\u201d\u00a0 You may find yourself stuck in the kitchen cooking and cleaning up rather than enjoying your family.\u00a0 The gifts under the tree bearing your name may seem insignificant when compared to those you bought for others.<\/p>\n

For these reasons — and others — people often feel depression instead of cheer during the holidays, which leads to emotional eating — and overeating.<\/p>\n

How can you avoid this trap?\u00a0 Being aware of the danger is the first step.\u00a0 It\u2019s real life and it happens, so be prepared.<\/p>\n

Having realistic expectations can also help you avoid holiday disappointments.\u00a0 Don\u2019t expect everyone to expend the same level of effort as you do — and don\u2019t work yourself into a pitch of anticipation over visits and gifts.\u00a0 If you are prepared for real life responses, you won\u2019t be let down.<\/p>\n

If your efforts aren\u2019t appreciated, maybe you need to scale back.\u00a0 There is no law that you HAVE to do all that baking, decorating and shopping. Be kind to yourself and do only what you WANT to do.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s perfectly all right to allow yourself a \u201cmake-up\u201d treat, as long it isn\u2019t food. If you never get the gift you want, maybe you should buy yourself one.\u00a0 Figure an after-Christmas-sale gift for yourself into the budget or order yourself a new book. Plan a movie night or a trip to see Christmas lights, or something else you enjoy.\u00a0 You are the only one responsible for your happiness — so if you aren\u2019t happy, do something about it.<\/p>\n

And when disappointment comes, or you just feel blue and let down, don\u2019t reach for the worms — or the cookies.\u00a0 Take a walk or do some other exercise instead.<\/p>\n

Remember that it isn\u2019t just you. Lots of people feel under-appreciated and overworked during this time of year.\u00a0 Be nice to yourself — and have a Merry Christmas!<\/p>\n

Eating to live and living for Christ,<\/p>\n

Susan Jordan Brown<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, Guess I\u2019ll go eat worms. \u00a0We\u2019ve all had times when we could sing that song!\u00a0 However, we usually sing, Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, Guess I\u2019ll go eat cookies. Emotional eating can be our downfall, particularly during and right after the holiday season.\u00a0 Stress and, often, disappointment raise…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":423,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nDon't Eat the Worms - Beyond Gorgeous<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beyondgorgeous\/2011\/12\/dont-eat-the-worms.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Don't Eat the Worms - Beyond Gorgeous\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, Guess I\u2019ll go eat worms. \u00a0We\u2019ve all had times when we could sing that song!\u00a0 However, we usually sing, Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, Guess I\u2019ll go eat cookies. 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