Do you have a Halloween Hangover?

The holiday season seems to get earlier and earlier every year, with Halloween being the kickoff. It begins the sugar-induced fog and sets us on the path to poorer health and self-destruction. We find ourselves raiding the kid’s Halloween candy stash (who me???) and we keep coming back for more, despite the way we feel after the sugar fix wears off.

How do we stop this sugary cycle? Limits, boundaries, and desire. Your mind is playing tricks on you by making you think you need that sugar. There is a reason sugar is considered a drug. It’s addictive, because in our mind, it makes us feel better, it gives a rush, and it keeps us wanting more and more…until we’re laying in a heap of wrappers, wondering how on earth we got here, and vowing to never eat another mini Twix again. A classic Halloween hangover.

There is another way. Get it out of your house STAT! There are a number of ways to dispose of it without throwing it away…ask your local dentist if they have a Halloween candy buy-back program, or perhaps your local school or church will accept the donated candy to mail to troops overseas. While there are healthier things I would rather send our troops, of course, I still think this is a lovely gesture.

Now, I’m also a realist, which is why I suggest limits and boundaries. Maybe you don’t have the willpower to say “No,” and hey, no judgements here…but, if that is the case, then you’ve got to make it go away. Before making it go away, decide how many pieces, within reason, you will keep to indulge in. Set a realistic boundary – I suggest no more than five. Remember, this is a drug, and the more you indulge, the more you will want and the cycle perpetuates. Also, there is better and worse for you candy. Better being chocolate – especially of the dark variety, and worse being dyes and partially hydrogenated oils and artificial chemicals. Avoid the latter, so even if you do have some candy, it’s not poisoning your body.

Lastly, you can set all the limits and boundaries you want, but if you have no desire to get out of this self-induced, sugary funk, then it will be a short-lived sugar sobriety. Why do you want what you want? How do you want to feel? Get clear on that, and it will be infinitely easier to say “No,” and kiss the Halloween haze of candy goodbye. Go beyond saying, “I want to feel better.” While this is a good start, there needs to be more clarity, more specifics. The clearer and more specific you are about how you want to feel, then the more real the vision becomes, and your desire then supersedes your craving.

Here’s to the sweet life without all the sugar! Limits, boundaries and desire for the WIN!!

xoxo
Mel