1. Gift yourself with a morning pause immediately upon waking. This could be 2 minutes of deep breathing or 30 minutes of yoga. 

• Why? You are training your nervous system to feel safe in the present moment. When you feel safe in the present moment, you are less likely to seek an escape in food, drink, or in other behaviors that you see do not serve you.

2. DO eat breakfast. Consider eating lunch depending on when your Thanksgiving feast begins. 

• Why? It is difficult to make sane choices around how you fuel your body when you are famished. 

3. Get non-starchy vegetables on your Thanksgiving plate, even if it means you have to make them and bring them yourself. EX: brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower

• Why? These nutrient dense vegetables are teaming with antioxidants that will help mitigate the impact of simple carbohydrates and sugars that may appear on your Thanksgiving plate. 

4. Get curious about discovering and defining *your* Middle Ground. 

In advance, contemplate *your* definition of “not too tight, not too loose” this Thanksgiving. 

EX: I will have one serving of stuffing vs three. 

I will begin drinking at dinner versus at noon. 

I will have one small piece of pumpkin pie and my aunt’s brownie’s versus two large pieces of every desert in sight. 

• Why? Living your Middle Ground – living in that “not too tight, not too loose” space – requires authoring your Middle Ground. 

Authoring your Middle Ground is a process of discovery. The more clearly you define what you believe is that “not too tight, not too loose” space for you, the more clarity you’ll gain on what works and what doesn’t. 

5. Count Your Wins. At the end of the day, write down three things you’d like to acknowledge yourself for, including where you played a “better” game. 

EX: I drank four glasses of wine instead of six. 

I skipped the candied yams. 

I had only one roll. 

I worked out for 30 minutes this morning. 

• Why? When we fail to acknowledge ourselves for our good intentions expressed through our new actions, we are left feeling never good enough. Failure to acknowledge our own hard-earned progress is, I believe, an act of self-aggression.