Tomorrow is Mother’s Day…a holiday that can make us sing with gratitude or cry in frustration depending on what we expect and what actually happens. I still remember the first year I thought my kids were old enough to ‘get it’ and I was hoping they would at least make me a card. I did not sing with gratitude when they proudly announced, ‘We know it’s Mother’s Day! What are you going to do for us?!’
Regardless of how your day goes, it has the potential to be filled with emotions and special food, which can be a dangerous combination. 🙂 It’s also the perfect mini-holiday to practice handling special food within boundaries. Those boundaries will be different for everyone, but they are always best set before the occasion instead of when our hands are full of goodies and we’re starving. As you set your boundaries you could consider:
- What does ‘healthy’ look like to me? Does it mean I don’t go back for seconds? I ate a vegetable? I’m not over-full at the end of the meal? I balanced what I ate over the course of the day?
- As I think about the treats/meals for this weekend, which indulgences do I really want to enjoy? Which ones would I regret skipping?
- As I think about those same meals, which indulgences aren’t really that big of a deal to me, but I’ll eat if they’re in front of me? Which ones will I regret NOT skipping?
- How can I navigate this weekend so I sleep well at night and feel healthy on Monday morning? Which foods (or amounts of foods) cause me to sleep poorly and feel rotten on Monday morning? Do I want to avoid them?
- Other than food, how can I celebrate this holiday? What actions will create memories that last far longer than a meal?
No matter how you decide to celebrate, enjoy your Mother’s Day!
