I have been thinking about this festive time of year, and curious about what would be of interest, or at least of some help, in the way of food and health to you amazing QG shoppers.

What really came up for me was…… a warm smile, some gentle words, and sharing of some ideas on unconditional acceptance, for ourselves.  This seems to be of much more use than pointers on blood sugar or inflammation reduction.  Let’s leave that for the new year!

Christmas is such a special time of year.  However, maybe some of you may be also struggling at times at having what should be a joyous time, but for assorted reasons, it may feel hard or even sad.

I was just listening to a talk about how hard so many of us are on ourselves and the negative self talk that is rampant internally. Maybe we think we are too much of this and too little of that.  Maybe we don’t like our wrinkles or our grey hair or pimples.  So many little messages in our self talk could be hard on us.  Imagine saying the things you think to a small child.  Well consider that you are that small child.  You don’t deserve negative talk, nobody does.

So, my suggestion to you is, give yourself your own special gift this year.  Unconditional acceptance and love.  All for you!

How can we do this?  Here are 3 ideas.

1.) Find one thing everyday to compliment yourself on.  Aim to do it first thing in the morning and keep it in mind all day.  Don’t listen to the negative talk, it’s just not true.

2.) Write down 3 things at night that you are thankful for. We can all find something to be thankful for.  Gratitude is a huge boost to finding joy in even the tiniest things of life.

3.) Help others.  Being of service and making someone else feel good works in miraculous ways.  When you help someone feel good, then you feel good.  The result is that you have just doubled your return on your investment!  It’s as simple as a nice compliment, sending a card, making a phone call, smiling when you pass by someone.  Simple little things can be enough. 

What does this have to do with food and health.  Lots!

When we feel good, we lower our stress levels and thus we digest better, and we sleep better, which helps us to continue to feel good.  The perfect circle.  This sounds simple but it is true.

The impact of stress on our ability to digest and metabolize foods is incredible.  If you can work on that 1 area, if stress is an issue for you, you’d likely notice improvements in your digestion and other areas of health.

So, pay attention to what your inner voice is saying and if it starts to say mean things and criticize you, find supportive and kind words to replace it.  Words like you would say to friend, as you really are your own best friend.

In summary, take it easy on yourself this Christmas season, enjoy yourself without guilt, find ways to help others, and then keep it going right on into the New Year.

Enjoy!

Thank you,

Lisa.