A Kinder Way to Navigate December
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Feeling Stretched Thin This December? You’re Not Alone.
This season can be a beautiful blur, the catch-ups, the celebrations, the warmth, but it can also leave you feeling a little overwhelmed.
If you’ve been with me for a while, you know I always come back to one thing: balance.
Not perfection. Not restriction.
Just supporting you to feel like your best self, with a gentler, more realistic approach.
Below are a few simple ways to move through the month feeling grounded, nourished, and well.
1. Mindful Eating (Without the Rules)
Arriving to dinner absolutely starving because you “saved up” all day? It’s so common and it usually leads to eating faster and feeling overly full.
A gentle shift that helps so much:
Aside from your regular meal, try a small pre-dinner snack. Veggie sticks, yoghurt, hummus, fruit, nuts… anything with fibre or protein. Especially helpful for those past-7-pm bookings.
2. Anchor the Meals You Can Control
Rather than stressing over every festive event, zoom in on the meals that are in your control. A homemade breakfast or lunch can be incredibly grounding when evenings are full of celebrations.
This isn’t about restriction, it’s about rhythm.
3. Find Your Own Balance With Alcohol
Alcohol can impact mood, sleep, digestion and energy for a day (or two). But that doesn’t mean you need an all-or-nothing mindset.
Try experimenting with what feels good for you:
alternating alcoholic + non-alcoholic drinks
choosing a couple of alcohol-free events
drinking more slowly, more mindfully
hydrating (your tomorrow-self will thank you)
The goal is not avoidance. It’s intention.
Recipe Recommendation. Maple sweet potato salad
Another gem found by my sister (I have two so sisters who love to cook, so that helps!)
I love the addition of chickpeas in this one - a fibre-filled, gut-loving legume that gives both carbs and protein.
This combo is surprisingly satisfying and perfect as eg a side to eg salmon or steak. A summery, colourful bowl your gut will adore.
Product Recommendation. Toby’s Estate Decaf Coffee
I just love coffee. It’s one of my favourite morning rituals.
But I noticed my morning espresso was giving me anxiety spikes, energy dips and making it harder to stay hydrated. I also didn’t like the idea of it blocking calcium absorption from my morning yoghurt + kefir (ugh).
But I couldn’t let go of the ritual.
Enter: Toby’s Estate Decaf (ground for the Bialetti, of course).
Zero jitters, zero crash, no dehydration, just a warm, comforting cup that still feels like me. If coffee makes you feel “off” but you miss the ritual… this is a game changer.
Quote.
Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity
- Simone Weil
