By Covenant Eyes
The holidays are a wonderful time for togetherness, but they are killer on our self-control.
Ask anyone what their vice is, be it unhealthy eating, shopping, or watching porn, and they will all have something in common: avoiding them is much more difficult during the holiday season.
Why is that, exactly?
There are certain triggers common to all unhealthy habits that make us want to indulge, even when we know it’s not good for us. These triggers are things that leave us needing the endorphin rush we get from partaking in our individual vices, and the holiday season is flush with them: disrupted schedules and increased busyness, alcohol, family, financial stress, loneliness—the list goes on.
When confronted with things that are upsetting, we seek out comfort. For many of us, that comfort comes in the form of behaviors we’re trying to avoid and feel guilty about later (like watching porn), which just makes us more likely to keep partaking in the destructive behavior.
So: what can you do to avoid falling into this trap this holiday season?
Make a plan! Be prepared for all of the things the holidays can throw at you, and have an escape route, literal or metaphorical, planned in advance.
Remember: the best offense, is, as they say, a good defense. Being prepared for all of the ways the holidays can derail your goals allows you to actually enjoy them, without all of the guilt that comes with engaging in destructive behaviors. If a little bit of preparation and a lot of follow through are all that’s standing between you and happy, guilt-free holidays, we just have one question: what are you waiting for?
