Cookies and Candies and Pies, oh my! The holiday season is filled with so many yummy foods. For a lot of people, this is a time to put healthy eating on pause so that you enjoy the treats that Christmas brings. With this change in diet also often comes a little bit or a lotta bit of holiday weight gain. These few extra pounds can be very difficult for those that struggle with body image and self-kindness already (which is almost everyone), so here are the steps that I take to remember where my worth truly lies and to practice healthy methods of getting back to normal.

Remember that it is just a number.

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Weight is literally just a number on the scale. It is in no way a measurement of how beautiful or worthy of love and respect you are. So what? You gained five pounds over the holidays? The world is not going to crash to the ground, I promise. You are still the kind, lovely, resilient human being that you were before. You are allowed to take up space as a human. You don't need to feel bad for indulging during the holidays.

Continue to eat.

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Please. Never. Stop. Eating. This is so important. No matter how much weight you gain, you should never, and I mean NEVER starve yourself. Just because you ate a lot yesterday does not mean that you do not eat today. Not only is that horribly unhealthy for your body, but there have been many studies that show that returning to a normal diet helps people bounce back quicker. Starvation is never the answer, and neither is crash dieting. Just return to eating a normal and balanced diet, but remember that balance does mean that you allow yourself to splurge sometimes. It's a lot unhealthier to never allow yourself to have the food you want, then to occasionally give yourself a food present.

Begin making peace with your body.

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Start making peace with your body and showing yourself some kindness and grace. When I began my journey of seeing myself the way that Jesus sees me, I stood naked in the mirror and yelled affirmations at myself. "You are a daughter of the king." "You are deeply loved." "You are more than just your physical body" "You have tummy rolls and they are cute as heck." In all honesty, if the king of the universe can give us grace, then who are we to deny ourselves of that? We are so freaking loved and so important. We are made in the image of GOD! I mean, FRICK! That's amazing!

Know where your worth lies.

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No matter how big or small you are, the next time you think negative thoughts about yourself, just return to the fact that GOD IS YOUR FREAKING DAD. YOU LOOK LIKE HIM. AND HE LOVES YOU SO MUCH. YOU ARE NOT GROSS. YOU ARE BEAUTIFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE. Nothing can change God's love for you. NOTHING. Not ten pounds. Not a million pounds. That is where you're worth lies. Not in weight. Not in how you look on the outside. But who you are on the inside. Who God made you to be. Who has forgiven you. Who loves you. That is where your true identity is. Believe that.